Kathmandu, April 8: The Kathmandu District Court has issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his spouse, former Foreign Minister Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, following a money laundering investigation.
The warrants were issued after the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) reported suspicious financial transactions involving the couple and their family members. Based on the department’s findings, the court authorized their arrest.
At the time the warrants were issued, the Deuba couple were not in Nepal. They had left for Singapore on February 26, 2026, ahead of the general elections held on March 5, reportedly for medical treatment, and later traveled to Hong Kong.
With the couple outside the country, Nepal Police is preparing to initiate procedures through INTERPOL to facilitate their return. “Interpol requires formal court documents to issue a notice. With the warrant now in place, the process can move forward,” a senior police official said.
The process will be handled by the National Central Bureau (NCB) at Nepal Police Headquarters. If an Interpol notice is issued, authorities in its 196 member countries could detain the individuals, after which legal procedures would be followed to bring them back to Nepal.
Investigators are currently examining land transactions involving approximately 73 ropanis of property reportedly acquired over the past one to one-and-a-half years in the name of Jayabir Deuba (son) and close relatives. Financial dealings involving relatives such as Pradeep Shamsher Rana and Bhushan Rana are also under scrutiny.
Dr Arzu Rana Deuba had previously been linked to the fake Bhutanese refugee scam, while transactions following a controversial decision related to Nepal Telecom’s billing system—reportedly involving then Communication Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal—are also being reviewed.
The Deuba family residence in Budhanilkantha, which includes two bungalows within a single compound, had earlier been targeted during the “Gen Z movement,” when incidents of arson and attack were reported.
During protests held on September 8 and 9, 2025, burnt currency notes were reportedly recovered from the residence, and related videos later surfaced publicly. Following that, the Department of Money Laundering Investigation initiated a formal probe and recently forwarded the case file to the Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) for further inquiry. #nepal #deuba
