CIB arrests former energy minister Khadka

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leader and former Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Deepak Khadka has been arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police.

Khadka was taken into custody from Maharajgunj this morning, according to CIB Spokesperson Shiva Kumar Shrestha. “He has been arrested. I cannot provide you with the full details now,” Shrestha told Himal Press over the phone.

CIB sources say Khadka will be investigated in a money laundering case. A large amount of Nepali and foreign currency was discovered from his residence after it was torched by protesters in September last year.

He has also been accused of forcefully occupying land belonging to the Nepal Scouts in Lainchaur, where he operated a party venue. His firm reportedly owes more than Rs 50 million in land lease payments to the Nepal Scouts.

Khadka was elected to the House of Representatives from Sankhuwasabha in 2022 as a candidate of the Nepali Congress (NC).