KATHMANDU:- Arrest warrants have been issued against former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Dr. Arju Rana Deuba for money laundering. The Kathmandu District Court has granted permission to arrest them.
During the ‘Genji’ movement that took place on Bhadra 23/24 (September8-9), Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, was arsoned and vandalized. The Money Laundering Investigation Department had started an investigation into the source of the foreign currency and Nepali rupees found in the burnt state. A high-ranking source said that an arrest warrant was obtained from the court based on the samples collected by the department and preliminary investigation.
Since the Deuba couple are currently outside the country, Nepal Police is preparing to proceed with the process through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to arrest them. A Home Ministry source confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued and that a letter has been sent to the Police Headquarters for necessary action. If the country of the accused is identified, there is a legal provision to extract them through Interpol’s ‘Red Corner Notice’ or ‘Diffusion Notice’.
The Deuba couple was injured during the protest on Bhadra 24 (September 9). After receiving treatment at the Army Hospital Camp, they went to Singapore for further treatment. The Deuba couple, who went to Singapore again in the second week of Falgun for treatment, have not returned home since then. It is said that the arrest process will be taken forward on that basis as they were seen in Hong Kong in a recently released video.
Meanwhile, an investigation is also underway into the cash seized from the house of former minister Deepak Khadka during the same protest. The department has arrested Khadka and is continuing the investigation. Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has informed through social media that a serious investigation is underway into the source of the money seized during the protest.