Nepal court convicts ex-ministers in fake Bhutanese refugee scam

A court in Nepal has convicted two former government ministers and at least 13 other individuals in connection with a large-scale scam that defrauded citizens by promising resettlement as refugees from Bhutan. The verdicts were issued by the Kathmandu District Court on Tuesday.

Former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi was convicted of offenses against the state, fraud, and organized crime. Former interior minister Bal Krishna Khand was found guilty as an accomplice in the case. The court acquitted seven defendants.

The scam operated after a third-country resettlement program for Bhutanese refugees, which ran from 2007 to 2018, concluded. This program had resettled over 100,000 ethnic Nepalis, primarily in the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The accused allegedly took substantial sums of money from Nepali citizens, falsely promising to process them as refugees for resettlement abroad.

Victims reported that their money was taken without any assistance provided. Nepali police initiated arrests in March 2023 following complaints from several victims. Sentencing for those convicted is scheduled for July 13.

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The district court on Tuesday convicted former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand, as well as several other people guilty in fake Bhutanese refugee scam.