Kathmandu, June 13 — Nepal’s Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has strongly denied any involvement in the high-profile visit visa scam, calling the accusations against him baseless and politically driven.
Addressing the House of Representatives on Friday amid chants and protests from opposition lawmakers, Lekhak asserted that the ongoing investigation by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has no grounds to implicate him.
“The allegations being spread in the media and on social platforms hold no truth. I have no involvement in the incident, and no such involvement can be established,” Lekhak told the House, describing the episode as a “planned political attack.”
He assured full cooperation with the CIAA investigation, stating he is ready to appear for questioning if necessary. However, he dismissed calls for his resignation, terming them unjustified in the absence of any formal charges or evidence.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have continued to disrupt parliamentary proceedings, demanding the formation of a formal parliamentary committee to investigate the scandal.
Earlier on Friday, the ruling Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and Maoist Centre reached a two-point agreement to break the parliamentary deadlock, proposing the formation of a suitable mechanism to probe the scam. The Maoists agreed to end the obstruction, but RSP and RPP remain unsatisfied.
The CIAA has been investigating major irregularities in visit visa processing, particularly at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The scandal, allegedly involving immigration officials, travel agents, and senior bureaucrats, is suspected to have generated illicit profits of up to NPR 5 million a day.
Among those arrested is Joint Secretary Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, a controversial figure who was reinstated as Chief of Immigration at TIA by Minister Lekhak shortly before the CIAA raid. Bhattarai was taken into custody on May 21 — just a day after being transferred back to the Home Ministry.
Opposition lawmakers have accused members of Lekhak’s personal secretariat of having links to the operation. Reports allege travellers heading to Europe paid up to NPR 300,000 for smooth immigration clearance at TIA.
Confiscated devices from the immigration office, coded messages, and irregular bank transactions are now central to the probe. The investigation continues to unfold, with growing pressure on Lekhak as the CIAA expands its net.
