KATHMANDU: Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has issued a strong denial in response to allegations linking him to irregularities in the issuance of visit visas at Tribhuvan International Airport, calling the claims part of a deliberate and conspiratorial smear campaign.
The controversy centers around accusations that fake documents were used to issue visit visas in exchange for large sums of money, implicating officials from the Immigration Office to high-level members of the Home Minister’s own secretariat. The complaint was formally registered at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers by activist Yubraj Safal on Friday.
In a statement to the media, Minister Lekhak categorically rejected the charges, asserting his commitment to integrity and transparency.
He declared, “There is a planned, conspiratorial effort to spread false propaganda against me. I want to make it clear to everyone — not just regarding the visit visa issue at the airport, but across my entire public and political career — if even a single instance of financial misconduct is proven against me, I will not only resign as Home Minister, I will resign from politics altogether.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier issued a press release denying any involvement of Minister Lekhak in the alleged visa racket, labeling the media reports and social media claims as baseless and misleading.
The Ministry also reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards irregularities and criminal acts, stating that an investigation into the case is underway in coordination with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).
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