Former Energy Minister Deepak Khadka of Nepal Taken into Custody by Police

Nepal police apprehended former energy minister and Nepali Congress leader Deepak Khadka on Sunday, March 29, in connection with a money laundering investigation, local media reported.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police took Khadka into custody on Sunday morning, as noted by CIB spokesperson Shiva Kumar Shrestha in The Himalayan. Khadka was detained for questioning following a request from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, The Kathmandu Post reported.

During last year’s Gen Z protests, images and videos emerged showing burnt remnants of banknotes at the homes of Khadka and former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal. These findings were reportedly validated through forensic lab tests.
Khadka faces allegations of receiving financial inducements in exchange for granting licenses and contracts for projects while he was the Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, it stated.

This arrest occurred just a day after former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were detained on charges related to their involvement in suppressing the Gen Z demonstrations of September 8 and 9 last year, which led to the deaths of 76 individuals, including approximately two dozen youths.