The bribery scandal involving the manipulation of documents to send Nepali individuals to the United States as Bhutanese refugees raises the possibility that a potent political organization was involved, as suggested by the arrest of former home minister Bal Krishna Khand on Wednesday.
As many as 12 persons have been arrested over the past three weeks in connection with the scam where racketeers, with the support of home ministry officials, allegedly swindled around 875 Nepali nationals of millions of rupees.
With several of their senior leaders implicated in the scam, Prime Minister and Maoist Centre chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba, and CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli have been meeting almost every day to discuss the investigation process.
The arrest of senior Congress leader Khand has dealt a severe blow to the party. Congress chief Deuba held a meeting with top party leaders on Wednesday evening to discuss the matter and chart out the party’s strategy on the issue.
“At the meeting, general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma demanded that Khand be suspended from the party’s central working committee. But no decision has been made,” a NC leader said, “the next meeting scheduled for Thursday may take a decision.”
Pressure is growing on the government from all sides to take action against all those involved in the scam. Investigating officials said the case has become so serious that even the most powerful leaders and government officials cannot stop the probe now, given its wide-ranging nature.
Talking to the Post, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrsetha claimed that no politician has so far dared to request him to stop or delay investigation or shield their friends or acquaintances.
“The police are investigating the matter and they are expected to complete it in another seven or eight days,” said Shrestha. “We hope we will conclude the investigation and reach a conclusion.”
“No one has directly put any pressure [to stop the investigation]…but some indirect requests have been made and I have been ignoring them. The investigation has taken its course and will be completed soon. We have given the police full autonomy to impartially and credibly carry out the probe,” said Shrestha.
A team from the Kathmandu Police Circle arrested Khand from his residence in Mainjubahal, Kathmandu on Wednesday morning. Leaked audio circulating on social media appears to claim Khand’s wife Manju had accepted a bribe.
Soon after Khand’s arrest, the CPN-UML suspended its secretary and lawmaker Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, who has been absconding since last week after an arrest warrant was issued against him. On Wednesday, the party issued a public statement announcing his suspension while urging him to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.From his undisclosed hiding, Rayamajhi on Wednesday informed the Parliament Secretariat that he was unwell and recuperating at a hospital.
But neither Rayamajhi nor his party, UML, has revealed any information about his condition or the hospital where he is allegedly admitted. On Wednesday, police also arrested Narendra KC, who served as personal secretary to Khand when he was home minister. Police recorded his statement and obtained permission from the Kathmandu District Court to keep him in custody for investigations for four days.
Khand’s wife, Manju, has also gone out of contact, following her husband’s arrest, according to police. Khand served as home minister from July 12, 2021 to December 26, 2022.
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