Nepal fake refugee scam: Nepal court jails former deputy prime minister, interior minister for fake refugee scam; 14 others convicted

A Kathmandu court has jailed two former Nepali ministers and 14 others after convicting them in a case involving the production of false documents. The documents were allegedly used to help Nepali citizens obtain resettlement in the United States, falsely claiming they were Bhutanese refugees, according to court records and attorneys.Former deputy prime minister and energy minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has been sentenced to four years in prison for crimes including fraud, crimes against the state and involvement in organized crime, Reuters reported. Former interior minister Bal Krishna Khand was sentenced to two years in prison for his complicity, a court document showed.The Kathmandu District Court handed down the verdict on Tuesday evening. Rayamaji is currently in custody, while Kander remains out on bail. Both former ministers have denied any involvement in the case.Rayamaji’s lawyer Dharma Raj Regmi said his client was not involved in decisions related to refugee policy and would challenge the ruling. “He has never been involved in formulating refugee policy,” Regmi said, adding that he would appeal.Khand’s lawyer Pankaj Karna also confirmed that he will appeal the verdict.The court also convicted 14 other defendants, including a former senior official in Nepal’s interior ministry and a former leader representing Bhutanese refugees. They were sentenced to up to four years in prison, according to court documents.The investigation into the scam began in 2023, when authorities discovered claims that Nepali citizens were being passed off as Bhutanese refugees to enter a U.S.-led third-country resettlement program. It has not been confirmed whether anyone has been resettled in the United States through the program.The case is related to the decades-long refugee crisis in Bhutan. Since the early 1990s, approximately 120,000 Nepali refugees have left Bhutan for Nepal due to disputes over their citizenship, identity and political rights.Nearly 113,000 Bhutanese refugees were resettled to countries including the United States, Canada and Australia in a resettlement program launched after Nepal and Bhutan failed to resolve the issue through repatriation talks. Washington has taken in about 100,000 refugees from Nepal, while thousands remain in camps in eastern Nepal.The court ruling comes as corruption in Nepal is under renewed scrutiny after youth-led protests ousted the previous government last year.