Sher Bahadur Deuba returns to Nepal amid graft probe

Former Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba returned home on Thursday after six months abroad for medical treatment, while facing an arrest warrant issued in April over money laundering allegations.

Deuba, 80, waved to supporters near Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu. He has denied the allegations.

Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said Deuba's case is being handled by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation. Kafle said police were providing security at the airport and at Deuba's rally because he is a former prime minister.

Authorities also issued a warrant for Deuba's wife, former foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba.

The warrants came after Prime Minister Balendra Shah won elections following deadly protests in September 2025. Deuba's tenure as president of the Nepali Congress ended in January after younger party members pushed for a leadership change.

A commission investigating the protests has recommended further investigation into cash allegedly found at Deuba's home and other properties. In testimony to the commission, Deuba described social media videos linked to the protests as potentially fabricated and called the matter a conspiracy.