The government has recalled Nepal’s Consul General in Hong Kong Bindeswar Prasad Lekhak after officials said he had hosted and provided all necessary support to former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Arzu Rana Deuba, who have been in Hong Kong since the third week of April.

Acting on a letter from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI), the Kathmandu District Court had issued an arrest warrant against Deubas on April 9. Following this development, the Deuba couple has been placed on the fugitive list.

The government came to know through different channels that Consul General Lekhak had been supporting them since they reached Hong Kong from Singapore, a senior government official said. “That is why he was recalled.”

A Cabinet meeting on Thursday decided to recall Lekhak, said Education Minister Sasmit Pokhrel, who is also the government spokesperson. Lekhak has been told to report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 20 days.

But three other consuls general—Bharat Khanal, Laxmi Prasad Niraula, and Jhakka Prasad Acharya—appointed along with Lekhak by then KP Oli government under a political quota, have not been recalled.

Pokhrel did not give any reason for Lekhak’s recall. But multiple officials at the foreign ministry and other government agencies told the Post that Lekhak has been supporting Deuabs in all possible ways even after the arrest warrant against them—and the government thus decided to recall him.

The Deubas were injured during the Gen Z movement on September 9 last year after being badly roughed up by an angry mob; their Budhanilkantha residence was set on fire.

The Deubas first visited Singapore last October for further treatment after weeks-long treatment in Kathmandu. Just ahead of the March 5 election, they again visited Singapore, from where they travelled to Hong Kong.

Lekhak is also close to Nepali Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and has been serving as the consul general to Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) of China since May 29, 2025.

The Deubas are currently living in the Stanley area of Hong Kong in a rented home supported by one maid and security guards.

The Deubas are meeting only close confidants and some local leaders affiliated to the Nepali Congress.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, the five-time prime minister, is accused of amassing huge amounts of wealth since the time he became home minister in 1991. His wife, Arzu also became foreign minister in July 2024 to September 2025.

Though an arrest warrant has been issued against the Deubas, the government has not issued a Red Corner notice via Interpol to bring them back. In the course of the probe, the DMLI has frozen all movable and immovable assets registered in their names and in the names of their family members.

But ex-PM Deuba has been denying any wrongdoing. In the first week of April, Deuba claimed via a Facebook post that “misleading and false propaganda” was being circulated regarding his family’s wealth. Stating that he learned about the investigation through media reports, he wrote: “I have submitted the factual details of our assets to the relevant government agencies during my tenure in public office, abiding by the legal provisions.”

Deuba further maintained that he believes state organs in a democracy must be independent and competent. He said he had implemented the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Act and the Corruption Prevention Act during his tenure to “maintain good governance and transparency while building a corruption-free society.”