Phony refugee scandal trial kicks off
The high-profile case involves 31 accused, including former Deputy Prime Minister and UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former Home Minister and Congress leader Bal Krishna Khand.
KATHMANDU: The long-running fake Bhutanese refugee scandal, which has rocked Nepal’s political circles for years, has entered its final phase as the trial commences today at the Kathmandu District Court.
The high-profile case involves 31 accused, including former Deputy Prime Minister and UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former Home Minister and Congress leader Bal Krishna Khand.
Following the completion of all witness statements and documentary evidence, the court has placed the case on its weekly hearing schedule for final arguments. Lawyers representing Rayamajhi said, “The hearings are expected to proceed uninterrupted, and the case is likely to reach a conclusion soon.”
Earlier, the then District Judge Prem Prasad Neupane had ordered pre-trial detention for some accused based on available evidence, while others were released on bail by the High Court.
Although the case received little priority over the past two years, it gained momentum from Baisakh 2082 onwards, with 10 weekly hearings and 16 supplemental hearings.
The District Public Prosecutor’s Office first filed the case on Jestha 10, 2080, accusing 30 individuals of fraud, forgery, organized crime, and offenses against the state; subsequent supplemental cases raised the total accused to 31.
The scandal centers on allegations that officials colluded to falsify refugee lists, sending Nepali citizens to the United States under the guise of Bhutanese refugees.
The case implicates top officials including former Deputy Prime Minister Rayamajhi, former Home Minister Khand, then Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, former lawmaker Angtawa Sherpa, and security advisor Indrajit Rai.
The case originated from complaints filed by Gajendra Budhathoki and later supplemented by complaints against other individuals, including Keshav Dulal, Dafuri Sherpa, and Bechan Jha.
Investigations identified key accused such as Rayamajhi and his son Sandeep, Khand, Pandey, Sherpa, security advisor Rai, and minister’s son Pratik Thapa, along with intermediaries Keshav Dulal, his wife Deepa Humagain, Sanu Bhandari, Mohanraj Rai, Niranjan Kharel, Keshav Tuladhar, and others involved in the scheme.
