KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu District Court has acquitted seven defendants in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam while convicting 23 others, including former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand and former Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, on various charges.
A bench led by Judge Tej Bahadur Khadka delivered the verdict on Tuesday and ordered the convicted defendants to appear for a separate sentencing hearing.
The case was filed on Jestha 10, 2080 BS, when government prosecutors charged 30 individuals with fraud, document forgery, offences against the state and organized crime for allegedly sending Nepali citizens to the United States by falsely presenting them as Bhutanese refugees.
Those acquitted are Ram Sharan KC, Tanka Kumar Gurung, Sanjeev Rayamajhi, Pratik Thapa, Laxmi Maharjan, Keshav Tuladhar and Ashish Budhathoki.
According to the court’s ruling, Rayamajhi was found guilty of offences against the state, fraud and organized crime. Khand was convicted as an accomplice, while Pandey was found guilty of fraud, organized crime and offences against the state.
The court will determine the sentences for those convicted at a later hearing.
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