UML suspends Top Bahadur Rayamajhi

KATHMANDU: CPN-UML has suspended its Secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, a week after an arrest warrant was issued for him.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, UML said that it had advised Rayamajhi to surrender and cooperate with the investigation after the arrest warrant was issued. “Although he had assured the party that he would surrender, it didn’t happen. The meeting of our Secretariat held on Tuesday took the matter seriously and directed him to surrender before the police,” the party said in the statement.

“In light of the decision made by our Secretariat and with the intention of facilitating the state investigation, we have decided to suspend Rayamajhi until the investigation is complete.”

The UML’s decision came after police arrested the former home minister and Nepali Congress leader, Balkrishna Khand, for investigation on Wednesday morning.

Rayamajhi’s son Sandeep was arrested last week.

The police have arrested 12 individuals so far, including a sitting government secretary, for an investigation into the Bhutanese refugee scam.  The scammers have been accused of swindling tens of millions of rupees from hundreds of people promising them to send to the US as Bhutanese refugees.