Month into new govt, Nepal home minister Sudan Gurung quits over links to bizmen under laundering lens

by Times of India
Apr 12, 2026

Image Source By : Indian Chronicle

Month into new govt, Nepal home minister Sudan Gurung quits over links to bizmen under laundering lens - The Times of The nation

Month into upcoming govt, Nepal home minister Sudan Gurung quits over links to bizmen under laundering lens

Month into new govt, Nepal home minister Sudan Gurung quits over links to bizmen under laundering lens

Key Highlights

Month into new govt,...
...

Nepal home minister Sudan Gurung, a handpicked aide of PM Balendra Shah, resigned on Wednesday amid scrutiny over his wealth disclosures, investments and alleged business links with businessman and power broker Deepak Bhatta, who is being investigated in a money-laundering case.

In a day of dramatic developments, Shah took charge of the home ministry after Gurung’s exit, just 26 days after his anti-corruption govt took office.

Gurung’s resignation is the second ministerial setback for Shah within weeks. On April 9, Shah sacked labour, employment and social security minister Deepak Kumar Sah after a disciplinary panel found that he had misused his position to keep his wife, Junu Shrestha, on the Health Insurance Board, a move the party said had breached its code of conduct and discipline.

Gurung, a former event manager and nightclub DJ who founded NGO Hami Nepal after helping with relief work during the 2015 earthquake, had emerged as one of the leaders of last year’s deadly Gen Z protests that forced former PM KP Sharma Oli’s resignation and eventually propelled Shah to the prime minister's post. Notably, Shah and Gurung formally joined the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) together on Jan 18, with Gurung announcing on social media that they would enter the party office together.

Announcing his resignation, Gurung said he was stepping down to allow an impartial probe and avoid any conflict of interest. “For me, ethics matter more than a position, and no power is greater than public trust,” he said, adding that questions raised by citizens had to be answered with “moral integrity”. Shah had sought a written clarification from him before the resignation.

Gen Z activists, whose protests had helped propel Gurung from civil society into Nepal’s political corridors, had also demanded his dismissal and arrest after questions emerged over his assets and alleged links with Bhatta.

In a statement, Gen-Z Movement Nepal said allowing him to remain in office “could influence the investigation process and represents a clear conflict of interest”, adding that a minister facing investigation could not continue without violating “basic ethical and legal principles”.

The controversy began after ministers’ asset declarations were made public on April 12. Gurung declared shares and securities, 89 tola (1.04kg) of gold, 6kg of silver, more than Nepali Rs 61 lakh (Rs 38 lakh) in cash, a vehicle and land in Dhankuta, along with properties registered in his father’s and grandfather’s names in Chitwan and Gorkha.

The disclosures triggered questions over the wealth of a politician who had built his public image around activism, disaster relief and clean governance.

The issue deepened after reports surfaced that Gurung held founder-level shares in two micro-insurance firms — Star Micro Insurance and Liberty Micro Life Insurance — where his name appeared alongside figures linked to Bhatta and Shanker Group vice-chair Sulav Agrawal.

Gurung had invested Nepali Rs 25 lakh (Rs 15.6 lakh) each in the two firms, which had not yet launched initial public offerings. Agrawal was also arrested earlier this month as part of a broader money-laundering probe into transactions worth Nepali Rs 3.7 billion (Rs 231 crore).

Gurung denied concealing the investments, saying they were part of his declared stock-market portfolio. “Someone who intends to hide assets does not openly declare over Rs 20 million in investments,” he said earlier.

He also said buying shares did not amount to a business partnership.

Critics, however, said unlisted founder shares should have been separately identified and not clubbed under general securities holdings. They also questioned the source of funds after records showed Nepali Rs 22.5 lakh (Rs 14 lakh) was deposited by Chang Agarwal and Nepali Rs 37.5 lakh (Rs 23.4 lakh) by Bijay Kumar Shrestha into Gurung’s personal account on May 9, 2023.

The next day, Nepali Rs 25 lakh (Rs 15.6 lakh) each was transferred from the account to Liberty Micro Life Insurance and Star Micro Insurance.

Financial records also raised questions over donations. Gurung’s personal account had received around Nepali Rs 60 lakh (Rs 37.5 lakh) in May-June 2021 as Covid-19 relief donations, of which Nepali Rs 25.9 lakh (Rs 16.2 lakh) was later transferred to Hami Nepal. Hami Nepal’s bank account received Nepali Rs 2.28 crore (Rs 1.42 crore) between July 2021 and Aug 2025, while Shanker Group was identified as one of its largest corporate donors.

Bhatta, chairman of Infinity Holdings, has interests in energy, real estate, travel, consumer goods, govt contracts, insurance and stock-market sectors. Investigators have been examining alleged suspicious transactions involving Bhatta, Agrawal, Shanker Group and Himalayan Reinsurance.

Shah’s govt is also facing protests and brawls along the India-Nepal border over stricter customs duty on goods worth over Nepali Rs 100 (Rs 63) brought from India, while Kathmandu has seen large demonstrations over govt’s move to ban party-affiliated student politics in colleges and replace student unions with student councils.

CHILLING FOOTAGE: As Iran Vows To SMASH Port Siege, Spooked U.S. RELOADS WARSHIP HELLFIRE In Gulf

IRGC Attacks Three Ships For Defying Iranian Orders; Hormuz Explodes As Iran Reasserts Control

'WILL BLOW UP THEIR LEADERS': Iran Humiliation Shocks Trump; POTUS Threatens Iranian Leaders

Survivors EXPOSE Modeling Globe ‘Gateway’; Epstein Network Allegations Trigger Global Outrage

BREAKING: IRGC Navy CAPTURES ‘ZIONIST’ Ship In Hormuz; Iran Confirms Two Vessels Seized

Hormuz Ships Under Attack: Back-to-Back Attacks Rock Gulf Waterway As Iran Vows Revenge

U.S. Nuclear Scientist LEAKS Trump's SENSATIONAL IRAN Plan; Gets Fired From Pentagon | Andrew Hugg

Kash Patel Explodes At Reporter Over Drinking Allegations In Fiery Clash

On Cam: Kurdistan Oil Refinery On Fire Amid Explosions As Iran Tensions Rise | Erbil | Iraq

U.S. Army Veteran Exposes Trump's Iran 'Lies' | 'If They Are Weak, Why Deploy Warships In Gulf?'

OTT Releases This Week (April 23–27): ‘If Wishes Could Kill’, 'Marty Supreme', ‘Band Melam’, ‘Apex’ lead the slate

3 mantras to chant everyday that are believed to bring peace, prosperity and divine protection

President Droupadi Murmu hosted South Korean President with royal Rajasthani feast

Mukul Chadda, Mallika Sarabhai, Smriti Kalra: Meet the IIM graduates who swapped corporate suits for movie scripts

Spiritual benefits of taking a holy dip in Ganga river

Navi Mumbai airport gets major connectivity boost with 2.7-km Stilt Bridge Route-9

8 traditional foods sun-dried in April for year-rounad enjoyment

Mumbai-Pune commute set for makeover with signal-free Atal Setu link

From earning Rs 6,000 to working with Shah Rukh Khan, Allu Arjun, and her take on finding love again amid divorce: Hansika Motwani gets candid

H-1B visa holders harassed by influencers: Immigration attorneys say 'don't open the doors, you are not...'

Mojtaba Khamenei missing in action. Is that why Iran regime is surviving?

Kash Patel opens up about his viral video of guzzling beer: 'I am like an everyday American'

Quote of the day by King Charles III: “As human beings, we suffer from an innate tendency to jump to conclusions, to judge people too quickly, and to pronounce them failures or heroes without due consideration of the actual facts and ideals of the period.”

“Could not protect her life”: Erika Kirk’s security fears collide with Candace Owens’ accusations

NZ minister refuses to tone down ‘butter chicken tsunami’ remark

First foreign astronaut mission: China selects two Pakistani candidates for Tiangong space station

Logan Paul says IShowSpeed "stabbed me in the back" as feud escalates

ExtraEmily takes a break from livestreaming after viewbotting allegations

Middle East on edge again: Two ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz

IPL 2026 Live: Sooryavanshi set to arrive as LSG opt to bowl against RR in Lucknow

Iran Guards confirms it has seized 2 ships attempting to cross Hormuz

UP Board 12th Result 2026 Live Updates: UPMSP Inter results releasing tomorrow at 4 PM; check official websites, steps to download scores on TOI portal

UP Board 10th Result 2026 Live Updates: UPMSP Class 10 scorecards releasing on April 23, official notice issued, here's how you can download scorecards from website, DigiLocker and other apps

CBSE Class 12 Result 2026 Live Updates: Expected date, how to check scores, pass criteria, and result download details

Delhi shocker: IRS officer’s daughter strangled with charging cable inside Amar Colony house; role of former house help suspected

Tamil Nadu Polling Day Curbs: State declares holiday, dry days; banks shut, hospitals run

West Bengal assembly elections 2026: Polling timings, documents, dos and don'ts

Abhishek’s 135 Powers SRH: opener smashes DC as SRH post 242/2; Kavya, father celebrations go viral

IPL: Abhishek ton, Malinga four-fer lead SRH to 3rd consecutive win

‘Dot, Dot, Dot’: Rajnath Singh Warns Pakistan On Pahalgam Attack Anniversary

IRGC Attacks Three Ships For Defying Iranian Orders; Hormuz Explodes As Iran Reasserts Control

From US To Israel: Global Leaders Mark One Year Of Pahalgam Terror Attack

'WILL BLOW UP THEIR LEADERS': Iran Humiliation Shocks Trump; POTUS Threatens Iranian Leaders

Asansol Poll Battle: BJP, TMC Face Voters Over Pollution, Water and Development Issues

Hormuz Ships Under Attack: Back-to-Back Attacks Rock Gulf Waterway As Iran Vows Revenge

On Cam: Kurdistan Oil Refinery On Fire Amid Explosions As Iran Tensions Rise | Erbil | Iraq

"Behen Darr Gayi!": Fans relive ‘Bhagam Bhag’ era after watching Akshay Kumar's 'Bhooth Bangla' trailer

MBOSE HSLC result 2026 to release tomorrow: Check details here

Iran war risk: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warns of oil shocks, sticky inflation and higher interest rates

Make your clutch last longer with these easy driving tips

“Three-against-one situation”: El Rubius opens up on being “targeted” in MrBeast’s viral $1M challenge

Bihar BTSC lab assistant notification released for 1091 posts at btsc.bihar.gov.in; apply here

IPL craze costs techie Rs 1.46 lakh in fake RCB vs CSK ticket scam

Raising “robot-proof” kids: Why creativity and curiosity matter more than ever

Inside ‘Satguru Sharan’: Exploring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Rs 100 crore Bandra home

How selling Alaska in 1867 was a costly mistake for Russia

'Hera Pheri 3 is coming': Paresh Rawal dismisses delay reports and reveals he will 'start shooting soon'

US-Iran War: A daring rescue Hollywood blockbuster is on its way. Till then, pick your favourite from these 10 films on bringing someone home against all odds

Kolkata team unveils fan mural at Rash Behari Avenue, celebrating city’s first love

How US spread a lie to rescue a pilot of a jet shot down in Iran

Netflix unveils ‘VOID’, an AI model that can change a movie plot

AI data centers are causing 'stress' not just to tech companies, but also private insurers

"Trans women are.....": Clavicular’s viral moment with trans women sparks fresh conversation on internet culture