Kathmandu, July 15: The Kathmandu District Court has sentenced 15 people, including former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, and former Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, to prison terms and fines in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. The court found them guilty on various charges and handed down separate sentences for each offence.
Court officials said that although each convict received separate prison terms for multiple offences, they will only have to serve the longest prison sentence imposed. However, fines for all offences must be paid in full.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Rayamajhi, former Home Secretary Pandey, Indra Kumar Rai, and Angtawa Sherpa were sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rs 20,000 for fraud, three years in prison and Rs 30,000 fine for organised crime, one year and six months in prison and Rs 15,000 fine for offences against the state, and four years in prison and Rs 40,000 fine under the integrated offence provision. Information Officer Shiva Khatiwada said they will only have to serve the maximum prison sentence of four years, although all fines must be paid.
Former Home Minister Khand, who was convicted as an accomplice in the fake Bhutanese refugee case, was sentenced to half the prison term awarded to the principal offenders. As a result, he will serve two years in prison.
Defendants Govinda Kumar Chaudhary, also known as Bikram, Sandesh Sharma, and Sagar Rai were each sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rs 20,000 for fraud. They also received three years in prison and a Rs 30,000 fine for organised crime, one year and six months in prison and a Rs 15,000 fine for offences against the state, and four years in prison and a Rs 40,000 fine under the integrated offence provision. They, too, will serve only the maximum sentence of four years.
Refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal was sentenced to one year in prison and fined Rs 10,000 for document forgery; one year in prison and Rs 10,000 fine for fraud; one year and six months in prison and Rs 15,000 fine for organised crime; six months in prison and Rs 5,000 fine for offences against the state; and two years in prison and Rs 20,000 fine under the integrated offence provision. He will serve a maximum of two years in prison.
Sanu Bhandari and Keshav Dulal, described as the main architects of the scam, were sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rs 20,000 for document forgery; two years in prison and Rs 20,000 fine for fraud; one year and six months in prison and Rs 15,000 fine for offences against the state; and four years in prison and Rs 40,000 fine under the integrated offence provision. They will each serve four years in prison.
Other defendants, Narendra KC, Shamsher Miya, Hari Bhakta Maharjan, and Niranjan Kumar Kharel, were sentenced to six months in prison and fined Rs 5,000 for fraud, nine months in prison and Rs 7,500 fine for organised crime; six months in prison and Rs 5,000 fine for offences against the state, and one year in prison and Rs 10,000 fine under the integrated offence provision. They will each serve a maximum prison term of one year.
According to the police investigation report, the Kathmandu District Government Attorney’s Office filed the case on May 24, 2023. Defendants Ram Sharan KC, Tank Kumar Gurung, Sandip Rayamajhi, Pratik Thapa, Laxmi Maharjan, Keshav Tuladhar, and Ashish Budhathoki were acquitted.
The prosecution had filed five charges against the accused, alleging that they defrauded multiple individuals of Rs 288.1 million by falsely promising to send Nepali citizens to the United States as Bhutanese refugees.
The charge sheet also claimed that the accused acted against Nepal’s national interest, damaging the country’s sovereignty and international reputation. Former minister Rayamajhi, former minister Khand, former secretary Pandey, refugee leader Rizal, security expert Indrajit Rai, and Shamsher Miya were accused of committing offences against the national interest because they held public office. Prosecutors had sought an additional three-year prison sentence for them on that basis. The accused were also charged under the integrated offence provision for committing multiple crimes in the same case.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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