Driven out of their homeland (Bhutan) into India and pushed through the open border into Nepal in the 1990’s, more than one lakh Bhutanese refugees have been sheltering in the US and several other countries. The countries that agreed to resettle these people deserve heartfelt thanks, along with international humanitarian organizations and leaders, who made efforts to find these people a home away from home, given very slim chances of their repatriation. Sadly, in this sordid saga and the generosity of the international community, some bureaucrats and political leaders saw an opportunity to make money. In cahoots with go-betweens, they found some people willing to forgo their Nepali citizenship and become ‘Bhutanese refugees’ by having their papers forged. For becoming ‘stateless’, these people even agreed to pay the syndicate involved, including the bureaucrats and politicians, handsomely. This case, popularly known as the Bhutanese refugee scam, came to light after some of the people fleeced thus spilled the beans, leading to the arrest of some politicians and bureaucrats in the course of a police investigation.  This organized crime is a case of treason against Nepal, but it also has international dimensions as it was committed in the pretext of third-country resettlement.  

What awaits the high-profile people behind bars in connection with the scam? Is it just an international propaganda that will die down in course of time, giving respite to the arrestees? 

To say the least, their early release seems unlikely because police would not have nabbed them without some proof of their involvement in the scam, or would they? While a few accused of involvement in the scam have been languishing behind the bars, other suspects have not even come under scanner, or have they? Nonetheless, they continue to claim innocence, in the Parliament and outside.  What’s more, hush-hush talks between top leaders of the three major parties in the aftermath of the arrest made people wonder if something fishy was going on.  Probably, the government doesn't feel the need to be accountable to the people, but does it think it can get away with this in international fora? A woeful lack of transparency in the investigation process indicates that there’s a slim chance of our ruling elite mend its corrupt ways. This means the slogan of `Happy Nepali, Prosperous Nepal` will remain a mere slogan if the Nepali public does not raise voices against corruption and demands a free, fair and transparent investigation into the scam. Such a probe will give all concerned a golden opportunity to come clean. What’s more, a constant public pressure will force the government to open files of policy corruption plaguing the country for decades.  So, it’s time for the people to wake up and demand a free, fair and transparent probe as it will go a long way in cleansing the governance system.