Kathmandu, April 8, 2026
As Nepal’s money laundering investigation into former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, his wife and former Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, and their family intensifies, questions are mounting over whether the couple — currently reported to be in Hong Kong for medical treatment — can be brought back to face justice. An arrest warrant has now been issued by the Kathmandu District Court against the Deuba couple.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Department of Money Laundering Investigation are probing the family for alleged money laundering, alongside similar cases involving former Prime Ministers K.P. Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The Deubas left Nepal via Singapore in late 2025/early 2026 for medical reasons (Deuba for follow-up treatment and Arzu for knee surgery) and are believed to have moved on to Hong Kong. Family spokesperson Bhanu Deuba has maintained that their stay is purely medical and they will return once advised by doctors.
Can the Deuba Couple Be Extradited from Hong Kong?
Nepal has no bilateral extradition (or “surrender of fugitive offenders”) treaty with Hong Kong. Hong Kong maintains a list of formal surrender agreements with select countries (primarily Western nations, many of which were suspended after 2020), but Nepal is not among them.
Hong Kong operates under its own Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which generally requires a formal agreement or ad-hoc special arrangements for extradition. Without a treaty, any surrender would be at the complete discretion of Hong Kong authorities and subject to dual criminality (the alleged offence must be a serious crime in both jurisdictions), human rights considerations, and political realities. Legal observers note that successful extradition in such cases is extremely rare, especially for high-profile political figures.
Nepal does have limited mutual legal assistance arrangements with China, including a 2020 agreement on the transfer of persons in custody for criminal investigations, but Hong Kong’s legal system remains distinct from mainland China’s for extradition purposes.
In short: Extradition is legally possible in theory but highly unlikely in practice without Hong Kong’s voluntary cooperation.
Step-by-Step: The Interpol Red Notice Procedure to Nab Fugitives
CIB Chief AIG Manoj KC has publicly stated that if the Deubas do not return voluntarily, Nepal will explore “diplomatic channels, Interpol mechanisms, and if necessary, Red Notices” to secure their return.
Here is how the process works:
• Domestic Arrest Warrant: Already issued by Kathmandu District Court against Sher Bahadur Deuba and Arzu Rana Deuba in the money laundering case.
• Request to Nepal’s Interpol NCB: Nepal Police’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Kathmandu prepares a formal request to Interpol’s General Secretariat in Lyon, France. The request must include the arrest warrant, details of the charges, and evidence that the offence meets Interpol’s criteria (serious international crime, dual criminality).
• Issuance of Red Notice: Interpol reviews the request for compliance with its rules (no political, military, or religious offences). If approved, a Red Notice is issued and circulated to all 196 member countries, including Hong Kong’s police.
• A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. It is a request to locate and provisionally arrest the person pending extradition.
• Action in Hong Kong: If Hong Kong police locate the Deubas and decide to act on the Red Notice, they can provisionally arrest them under local law. Nepal would then have a short window (usually weeks) to submit a formal extradition request through diplomatic channels.
• Extradition Hearing in Hong Kong: The couple could challenge the arrest in Hong Kong courts. The final decision on surrender rests with Hong Kong’s Chief Executive and courts, weighing treaty absence, political offence exceptions, and fair-trial guarantees.
• Return to Nepal: If approved, the Deubas would be handed over to Nepali authorities. If denied, they could remain in Hong Kong or move elsewhere.
Important caveat:
Even with a Red Notice, many countries (including Hong Kong) treat it as a police-to-police alert rather than an automatic trigger for arrest or extradition. Success depends heavily on bilateral relations and the host country’s willingness.
Current Status and What Happens Next
• No Red Notice has been issued yet against the Deuba couple.
• The investigation continues in Nepal regardless of their absence.
• Public pressure is growing, with some social media voices already demanding an immediate Red Notice.
Nepal Police sources say they are first exhausting diplomatic requests for voluntary return before escalating to Interpol. The Deubas’ legal team has not commented publicly on the arrest warrant.
Whether the couple returns voluntarily, faces a Red Notice, or remains beyond reach in Hong Kong will be a major test of Nepal’s ability to pursue high-profile financial crime cases across borders. For now, the ball remains in Hong Kong’s court — and in the hands of international police cooperation.