Kathmandu — Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Vice Chairman of CPN-UML, former Finance Minister, and a politician who has served as minister eight times and member of parliament five times, was arrested by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation on Monday from Surkhet. Before the arrest, the department raided his residence in Bhaisepati, Lalitpur, and seized documents.
Paudel is accused of working in favor of business and interest groups while in state power and later benefiting in various ways. According to department sources, he was arrested as part of an investigation into suspicious sources of property and share transactions.
He has been taken to Kathmandu via Nepalgunj and will be presented to the Special Court on Tuesday for an extension of custody.
Paudel has held ministerial positions eight times, including five terms as Finance Minister and three times as Deputy Prime Minister with ministerial portfolios. After losing the Rupandehi–2 election in February 2082 BS, he has been outside parliament but actively engaged in party restructuring campaigns. From 2053 BS until 2082 BS, he continuously held high-level positions.
