DPM Shrestha assures of impartial conclusion of move against fake Bhutanese refugee scam

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, has said all those accused and suspected in the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal will be investigated. Receiving a memorandum by a delegation of the CPN (UML)-aligned Youth Association Nepal today, the Deputy Prime Minister said Nepali people are ashamed of the scam.

“The scam has posed a challenge to a journey towards good governance, the pre-condition for prosperity,” he said adding that he has directed the Nepal Police to carry out and conclude investigations into the scam, unaffected by possible political pressure and unwanted influence. Thirty people, including the former Home Minister, now face charges of crime against the State over their alleged roles in the scam. The case was registered by the Nepal Police on Wednesday. “A journey towards prosperity will remain obstructed until a nexus of corruption and commission is dismantled,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

According to him, the government and police mechanism is clear about its stance against the scam and they are dealing with the matter with the determination to conclude it impartially and in a substantive way. “We want each guilty in the case be prosecuted and no innocent be blamed for it.” The Deputy Prime Minister ruled out the possibility of the protection of probable offenders on the basis of any political connection or nepotism and said that the police would bring those suspected in the case into investigation once it found evidences to suggest their involvements.

Association Acting Chair Amit Lama demanded a fair investigation into the scam, urging the government not to divert the issue under any circumstances. It also expressed its concern over the ‘leakage’ of secret statements recorded during the investigations and evidences against the scam. The leakage was intentional, it accused.