Nepal: Ex-energy minister arrested in money laundering case

## Summary
https://p.dw.com/p/5BKmM During the September 2025 protests, demonstrators set fire to the parliament building and government offices, as well as Deepak Khadka's residence [FILE: September 9, 2025] Image: Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement Police in Kathmandu arrested Nepal 's former energy minister and Nepali Congress leader, Deepak Khadka, on Sunday morning. Local news portal Ratopati reported the arrest warrant stated that Khadka was taken into custody for an investigation related to "money laundering offenses." A team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police made the arrest, and the former minister is currently in CIB custody, according to local media reports. Khadka's arrest comes a day after former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested for their alleged involvement in the deadly crackdown on anti-corruption protesters in September. Nepal's ex-PM Oli arrested over crackdown on Gen Z protests To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What do we know abut the money laundering probe?

## Article Content
https://p.dw.com/p/5BKmM
During the September 2025 protests, demonstrators set fire to the parliament building and government offices, as well as Deepak Khadka's residence [FILE: September 9, 2025]
Image: Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo/picture alliance
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Police in Kathmandu arrested
Nepal
's former energy minister and Nepali Congress leader, Deepak Khadka, on Sunday morning.
Local news portal Ratopati reported the arrest warrant stated that Khadka was taken into custody for an investigation related to "money laundering offenses."
A team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police made the arrest, and the former minister is currently in CIB custody, according to local media reports.
Khadka's arrest comes a day after
former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested
for their alleged involvement in the deadly crackdown on anti-corruption protesters in September.
Nepal's ex-PM Oli arrested over crackdown on Gen Z protests
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that
supports HTML5 video
What do we know abut the money laundering probe?
The newly appointed Home Affairs Minister Sudan Gurung announced on Facebook that Khadka was detained in connection with a probe into money allegedly recovered from his residence during the protests.
CIB spokesman Shiva Kumar Shrestha told the AFP news agency that Nepal's Department of Money Laundering Investigation will oversee the probe.
The
youth-led uprising
that began in September 2025 started as a response to a brief social media ban, but it grew to encompass longstanding frustrations regarding corruption and economic hardship. More than 70 people died and some 2,300 were injured in the unrest.
Demonstrators set fire to the parliament building and government offices, eventually toppling Oli's administration. The Khadka's residence was also set ablaze, and videos went viral showing protesters throwing cash found inside up into the air.
Nepal's Gen Z look to reshape their nation's future
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supports HTML5 video
New government vows reforms
An election held in Nepal earlier this month was the country's first poll since last September's protests.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party won by a landslide. On Friday, its leader, rapper-turned-politician
Balendra Shah, formally took office as prime minister
.
On Saturday, the
new government
unveiled an ambitious 100-point agenda for governance reform. This agenda includes a plan to establish an investigative committee that will examine the assets of politicians and high-ranking state employees.
Edited by: Natalie Muller
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
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### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- CIB spokesman Shiva Kumar Shrestha told the AFP news agency that Nepal's Department of Money Laundering Investigation will oversee the probe.
- Nepal's Gen Z look to reshape their nation's future To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video New government vows reforms An election held in Nepal earlier this month was the country's first poll since last September's protests.
- On Saturday, the new government unveiled an ambitious 100-point agenda for governance reform.
- This agenda includes a plan to establish an investigative committee that will examine the assets of politicians and high-ranking state employees.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers khadka, nepal, minister topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 410.