Former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is returning to Nepal on Thursday, five months after leaving for Singapore, with his faction of the Nepali Congress preparing a rousing welcome for him.

But his return raises more questions than it answers. Deuba left Nepal for Singapore on February 25, saying he was travelling for a medical check-up. He is now returning from Hong Kong, where he is believed to have stayed for part of his prolonged absence from Nepal. His close aide Bhanu Deuba confirmed that Deuba will arrive in Kathmandu at 12:25 pm on Thursday via Bangkok.

The circumstances of his five-month stay abroad remain largely unexplained.

It is unclear when Deuba, his wife Arzu Rana and their son Jaybir moved from Singapore to Hong Kong. The couple has not publicly disclosed details of their movements or treatment, saying only at different times that they were abroad for medical care. They have not specified what ailments they were being treated for.

More significantly, questions remain over who financed their extended stay and medical treatment. Those questions have assumed greater significance because a money-laundering investigation into the Deubas had already been launched before they left Nepal, leading to the freezing of their domestic assets and bank accounts.

Nepali citizens can obtain limited foreign currency for overseas travel and medical treatment through Nepal Rastra Bank and authorised banks, subject to approval and documentation.

However, multiple sources at the NRB said the Deuba couple did not seek central bank approval for foreign currency exchange for medical treatment, and there is no record of such requests in recent months.

“In recent months, there has been no request from the family for foreign currency exchange for foreign travel, medical treatment, religious pilgrimage, or any other purpose,” said an NRB official on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter. “However, Nepali citizens can also obtain foreign currency exchange through commercial banks. If they obtained it that way, the information would not necessarily be available to Nepal Rastra Bank.”

The investigation into the Deubas had begun in November last year, before the Deubas left Nepal. The Department of Money Laundering Investigation subsequently froze movable and immovable assets registered in the names of the couple, their son Jaybir Singh Deuba and some relatives. According to investigators, the freeze order remains in effect.

Nepali politicians travelling abroad for medical treatment have often drawn public attention in the past, typically under formal arrangements or state-supported provisions in the case of former prime ministers and other public office holders. The Deuba couple had also frequently travelled to Singapore for medical treatment.

After the September 2025 Gen Z protests, the Deubas flew to Singapore on October 27, also citing medical treatment. The couple had been beaten by demonstrators on September 9, the second day of the uprising, and their trip was understood to be related to medical care. They returned to Kathmandu on November 14, after 18 days.

Their latest departure, however, came shortly before the March 5 elections and was followed by a much longer stay abroad. Deuba had been ousted as Nepali Congress president through the party’s special convention in January. His party subsequently suffered a humiliating defeat in the elections, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party came to power and its senior leader Balendra Shah became prime minister.

The Deubas did not return to Nepal after the election.

It was during this period they were believed to have moved from Singapore to Hong Kong. In late April, the government recalled Nepal’s Consul General in Hong Kong, Bindeshwar Prasad Lekhak, after receiving information that he had hosted the Deubas and provided support to individuals under investigation. The couple was said to have been staying in the coastal town of Stanley. Videos of the Deubas strolling in Hong Kong have surfaced on social media from time to time, although the couple never explicitly confirmed that they were in Hong Kong.

Days after the Balendra Shah government came to power, arrest warrants had been issued against the Deubas at the request of the DoMLI.

After news of the warrants became public, Deuba said in a Facebook post on April 8 that he had not engaged in corruption.

“I learned through the media that an investigation into money laundering has been initiated against me and my family … There has been misleading and false propaganda regarding the property of me and my family. Under Nepal’s laws, while holding public office, we have submitted a true and accurate account of our assets to the concerned government authorities,” he said. “We are currently abroad for medical treatment and … the treatment process is still ongoing. The truth will come out in due course of time.”

In a bid to bring the Deubas back to Nepal, the government had even requested an Interpol Red Notice, but the global police network declined the bid. The Supreme Court subsequently annulled the arrest warrant on May 25.

The couple has maintained the same position in subsequent communications with Nepali authorities. Through email correspondence with the DoMLI and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), they have said only that they are abroad for medical treatment, without providing specific details.

On June 11, the Deubas emailed the DoMLI saying they were ready to return to Nepal and cooperate with the investigation, but requested that the authorities facilitate their return.

Five days later, on June 16, the CIAA served a notice at the Deubas’ Budhanilkantha residence directing Arzu Rana to appear within three days to record her statement in connection with the passport procurement case. The following day, Rana emailed the anti-graft agency saying she was abroad for medical treatment and therefore unable to appear within the stipulated deadline.

According to an official involved in the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the CIAA received Rana’s email at around 2:30 pm on June 17.

“Apart from the email, we have had no other communication with Arzu Rana through any other means,” the official said.

The ongoing money-laundering probe also involves Jaybir: a DoMLI chargesheet filed on July 16 says companies owned by Jaybir received Rs26 million from controversial businessman Deepak Bhatta, who is currently in police custody. Investigators suspect the money was proceeds of financial crimes.

Deuba, 79, is returning to Kathmandu as the legal battle over the leadership of the Nepali Congress has been reopened at the Supreme Court. On April 17, the court had recognised the Gagan Thapa faction as the official Nepali Congress, months after Thapa ousted Deuba through a special general convention. Last week, however, the Supreme Court allowed a review petition, sending the case back for a fresh hearing before a three-justice bench.

The outcome of the new hearing will determine the party’s official status.

Deuba is returning just as leaders of his faction have stepped up their challenge to Thapa. It is unclear how long Deuba will remain in Nepal. Since Arzu Rana and Jaybir have not accompanied him, Congress leaders say Deuba could return to Hong Kong.

Investigating officials from the DoMLI and the CIAA say the source of funding for the couple’s prolonged stay abroad and medical treatment will be among the questions they face once they appear before the agencies.

Leaders close to Deuba say he is returning to Nepal in line with his commitment. However, it has not yet been decided whether he will personally appear before the DoMLI to give a statement after his return. Bhanu said the matter would be discussed after his arrival. Some have claimed that Deuba plans to stay in Nepal for some time before leaving again, a claim Bhanu denied.

“Nothing has been decided about whether he will leave again or not,” he said.