The Kathmandu District Court has recorded statement of 15 of the 17 persons arrested in connection to the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.
CPN-UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Ang Tawa Sherpa and Shumsher Miya recorded their statement on Thursday, according to Kathmandu District Court Spokesperson Dipak Dahal.
Statement of NC leader and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand and exiled Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal will be recorded Friday.
Bail hearing will start after completing recording of statement. The court will decide whether to conduct hearing in the case keeping the accused in judicial custody, or release them on bail or normal date after the bail hearing.
The District Government Attorney’s Office (DGAO), Kathmandu, had filed five cases against 30 defendants including former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former home minister Bal Krishna Khand, former home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey and exiled Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.
The DGAO filed cases of fraud, forgery, offense against the state, organized crime and integrated offense against them on the basis of the report submitted by police.
Police had investigated the accused for offense against the state, fraud and organized crime.
Police had produced 16 people arrested in the scam along with their investigation report. They named 14 others as absconding defendants in the case. Laxmi Maharjan, 32, of Lalitpur was arrested after that and produced before the court.
Keshav Dulal, Sanu Bhandari, Tanka Kumar Gurung, Sandesh Gurung, Sagar Rai, Tek Narayan Pandey, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and his son Sandeep, Indrajit Rai, Bal Krishna Khand and his personal secretary Narendra KC, Ang Tawa Sherpa, Ram Sharan KC, Govinda Chaudhary, Shamsher Miya, and Tek Nath Rizal were arrested earlier in connection with the scam so far.
Arrest warrants were also issued for former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa’s son Prateek, Indrajit Rai’s son Niraj and others, but they have been absconding.
