Former Ministers and Officials Face Hearing in Fake Bhutanese Refugee Case

Kathmandu. A hearing has been scheduled at the Kathmandu District Court against former Home Minister and high-ranking officials on charges of defrauding Nepali citizens by making them fake Bhutanese refugees and taking them to the United States.

The hearing is scheduled in the bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Khimānanda Bhusal. The charge sheet claims that Nepali citizens were made Bhutanese refugees as part of a plan by an organized gang by preparing fake documents. This is the final hearing at the district court after nearly three years since the case was filed on five charges including organized crime.

On Jestha 10, 2080, cases were filed at the Kathmandu District Court against former Deputy Prime Minister and UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Home Minister and Congress leader Balkrishna Khand, then Home Secretary Teknarayan Pandey, former MP Angdawa Sherpa, and then Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa's security advisor Indrajit Rai, along with 30 others, on charges of forgery, fraud, organized crime, and crimes against the state.

In this case, key middlemen Keshav Dulal, his wife Deepa Humagain, another middleman Sanu Bhandari and Sandesh Sharma, as well as Tankakumar Gurung, Mohanraj Rai, Niranjan kumar Kharel, Keshav Tuladhar, who worked within the gang's network, middleman Haribhakta Maharjan, his wife Laxmi Maharjan, Rajesh Aryal, Binita Sabden Limbu, Sagar Rai, Ashish Budhathoki, Sunil Budhathoki, Ramsharan KC, Ashok Pokharel, Govindkumar Chaudhary, Dhiren Rai, Bechan Jha, and Bhutanese refugee leader Teknath Rizal are also facing cases with the same charges. Of the 18 arrested at the time of filing the case, 2 were sent to jail and 16 others were released on bail, and the case proceeded. 12 were absconding. Later, some of the absconding individuals were arrested, but some accused are still at large.

On Jestha 9, 2081, a supplementary charge sheet was filed against Keshav Dulal and 5 others who were previously defendants, and on Shrawan 4, 2081, against another suspect, Bechan Jha, on Shrawan 29, 2081. All three cases have been consolidated for hearing, except for the pre-trial detention arguments/orders.

The bench of then District Court Judge Prem Prasad Neupane had ordered the arrested individuals to be kept in detention for trial, stating they were 'guilty based on the evidence available at the time'. Later, some accused were released on bail and bail from the High Court. Some are still in detention as the district and high court verdicts were upheld. The case did not receive priority in the previous two years, 2080 and 2081.

At the District Court, cases against former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Rayamajhi's son Sandeep Rayamajhi, former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand, then Hajj Committee Chairman Shamsher Mian, then Home Minister Khand's personal secretary Narendra KC, then Home Secretary Teknarayan Pandey, then Constituent Assembly member Angdawa Sherpa, then Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa's son Pratik Thapa, then Home Minister Thapa's security advisor Indrajit Rai, and Rai's son Niraj Rai are under trial.