Kathmandu, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba returned to Kathmandu on Thursday after spending nearly five months abroad, receiving a warm welcome from supporters at Tribhuvan International Airport amid an ongoing money-laundering investigation against him and his wife, former Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba.
Deuba, who had left Nepal for Singapore on February 25 citing a medical check-up, arrived via Thailand. Several senior Nepali Congress leaders and former party office-bearers, including Purna Bahadur Khadka, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi and Prakash Sharan Mahat, were present at the airport.
Party workers raised slogans in support of Deuba, who is facing both legal and political challenges. He was removed from the party presidency following a contested Special General Convention held in January.
Deuba’s prolonged stay abroad came amid a money-laundering investigation launched after large amounts of cash were reportedly seen being burnt at his residence during the Gen-Z protests in September last year. Nepali authorities have frozen his domestic assets and bank accounts in connection with the probe.
After Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s government took office, arrest warrants were issued against Deuba and his wife following a request from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation. An attempt was also made to seek an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Deuba while he was abroad. However, the Supreme Court annulled the arrest warrant on May 25.
His return comes at a politically sensitive time for the Nepali Congress. A faction led by former General Secretary Shashanka Koirala is scheduled to hold a separate national gathering of party cadres in Kathmandu on Friday.
The faction is hoping that the Supreme Court will overturn the party’s January Special General Convention, which elected a new Central Working Committee headed by Gagan Thapa as president, replacing Deuba.
The Supreme Court had earlier recognised the Special General Convention, enabling the Thapa-led party to contest the March 5 elections. The party subsequently suffered a major electoral setback, leading to criticism of Thapa’s leadership from the Deuba faction.
The faction later sought a review of the court’s April 17 verdict recognising the Thapa-led leadership. Last week, the Supreme Court admitted the review petition and sent the matter for fresh consideration before a three-judge bench. The outcome could determine the party’s official status.
Deuba’s return could strengthen his faction, but questions remain over the status of the money-laundering investigation involving him and his wife. Arzu Deuba and their son Jayabir have yet to return to Nepal.
The Deubas had left the country after reportedly being assaulted by protesters during the Gen-Z movement, citing medical treatment. Their prolonged stay abroad, however, remained unexplained, with neither publicly disclosing details of their movements or treatment.
They were reportedly seen in Singapore and later believed to have travelled to Hong Kong, where videos of the couple surfaced on social media. The financing of their extended overseas stay and medical treatment has also come under scrutiny amid the money-laundering investigation.
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