Kathmandu: Nepal police on Sunday arrested former energy minister and Nepali Congress leader Deepak Khadka in connection with a money-laundering probe, local media reported.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) took Khadka into custody Sunday morning, CIB spokesperson Shiva Kumar Shrestha told The Himalayan.
Police detained him for questioning after a request from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, The Kathmandu Post said.
Images and videos from last year’s Gen Z protests showed burnt fragments of banknotes at Khadka’s residence and at the homes of former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the reports added.
Those findings were reportedly confirmed by forensic laboratory tests.
Authorities allege Khadka received financial benefits in return for facilitating licences and contracts while serving as minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.
His arrest came a day after former prime minister K P Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested over allegations of involvement in suppressing the Gen Z movement on September 8–9 last year, which left 76 people dead, including about two dozen youths.
