Arrest Warrant Issued Against Former Nepal PM Deuba, His Wife: Reports

Kathmandu: The Kathmandu District Court has reportedly issued an arrest warrant against former Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, former Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, in connection with a money-laundering investigation.

The Kathmandu Post reported that the arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday following approval from the bench of Judge Mahendra Khadka, based on a request from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation.

The department has been investigating former Prime Minister Deuba and his wife, along with former Prime Ministers K P Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, on allegations of money laundering.

During the Gen-Z movement in September last year, videos and images of burnt cash from the residences of Deuba, Prachanda’s daughter, and former Energy Minister Deepak Khadka were widely circulated on social media. Khadka has since been in police custody for investigation. Their houses were set ablaze by the protestors. Forensic tests later confirmed that the fragments of currency notes were genuine, prompting a full-scale investigation amid suspicions that the images may have been generated using artificial intelligence.

However, former Prime Minister Deuba and his wife are currently out of the country. The couple had flown to Singapore on February 26, reportedly for medical treatment, a week ahead of the parliamentary elections in Nepal. They have not returned home since and are said to have travelled to Hong Kong.

Sources told ‘The Kathmandu Post’ that the arrest warrant was issued against the Deuba couple as part of the process to seek an Interpol Red Notice, which would enable authorities to detain them abroad and facilitate their return to Nepal.

Deuba, who has served as Prime Minister five times, has remained a central figure in Nepali politics since 1991, consistently winning elections from Dadeldhura, his home district. However, he did not contest the most recent House of Representatives elections held on March 5, following his removal from the post of Nepali Congress President through a Special General Convention in January.

Following the March 5 elections, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, a relatively new political force, emerged as the largest party in the House of Representatives with nearly a two-thirds majority. The situation has since become more unfavorable for the Deuba couple to return home, as the new government has launched a probe into their activities.

(IANS)