Former Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba returns to Kathmandu after 5 months abroad for medical treatment. His arrival coincides with a Nepali Congress faction meeting amid an ongoing internal dispute, a leadership battle, and a money-laundering probe.
Former Nepal Prime Minister and former Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, 80, is set to return to Nepal on Thursday after spending around five months abroad, with a faction of the Nepali Congress preparing a grand welcome for him at the airport. Deuba is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu around noon. His return comes amid an ongoing internal dispute within the Nepali Congress and a renewed legal battle over the party’s leadership.
Deuba, who was beaten by a mob during the Gen-Z protests in September last year, had flown to Singapore on February 26 ahead of the March 5 election for medical treatment. On September 9, a mob that stormed Deuba’s residence assaulted the then-79-year-old leader and his wife, Arzu Rana Deuba, leaving both seriously injured. The couple subsequently left Nepal for medical treatment and have not returned since. They were later spotted in Hong Kong, although they have not publicly disclosed details of their movements or treatment, saying only that they were abroad for medical care.
Nepali Congress senior leader Prakash Sharan Mahat confirmed to ANI over the phone that Deuba would return to Nepal alone. “It is only him who will be back home. The party currently needs the former Prime Minister, his return would help improve the party’s political situation,” Mahat said.
Faction Plans Grand Welcome
Deuba’s return coincides with the Nepali Congress non-establishment faction’s national gathering, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from August 14 to 16. He is scheduled to address the gathering on Friday.
With Deuba’s arrival, the dissenting faction of the Nepali Congress is preparing to welcome the former party president with traditional music and a cultural tableau. According to Meen Bishwakarma, coordinator of the publicity committee, the national gathering will begin at 1 pm on Friday and continue for three days. The faction expects around 5,000 party leaders and cadres to participate.
Legal Battle for Party Leadership
Deuba’s return and the national gathering come amid an ongoing dispute within the Nepali Congress, particularly over party leadership and organisational restructuring. The political developments are also unfolding against the backdrop of a legal battle over the leadership of the Nepali Congress, which has been reopened at the Supreme Court.
On April 17, the court had recognised the Gagan Thapa faction as the official Nepali Congress, months after Thapa ousted Deuba through a special general convention. In the first week of August, the Supreme Court allowed a review petition, sending the case back for a fresh hearing before a three-justice bench. The outcome of the new hearing will determine the official status of the party.
Money Laundering Probe and Arrest Concerns
Meanwhile, party leaders and cadres have raised concerns over the possibility of Deuba’s arrest as he and his wife face a money-laundering investigation that was launched before they left Nepal. The investigation began in November last year.
The Department of Money Laundering Investigation subsequently froze movable and immovable assets registered in the names of Deuba, his wife, their son Jaybir Singh Deuba and some relatives. The freeze order remains in place. The incumbent government, headed by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, had issued arrest warrants against the couple at the request of the Department of Money Laundering Investigation.
Reacting to the issuance of the warrant, Deuba took to social media on April 8 and denied allegations of corruption. “I learned through the media that an investigation into money laundering has been initiated against me and my family. There has been misleading and false propaganda regarding the property of me and my family. Under Nepal’s laws, while holding public office, we have submitted a true and accurate account of our assets to the concerned government authorities. We are currently abroad for medical treatment, and the treatment process is still ongoing. The truth will come out in due course of time,” Deuba had claimed.
The Balendra Shah government had also requested an Interpol Red Notice against Deuba, but the global police network declined the request. The Supreme Court subsequently annulled the arrest warrant on May 25. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)