KATHMANDU:- The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has summoned former foreign minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba to appear for a statement in connection with her alleged involvement in irregularities in the passport printing process.
On Tuesday, the Commission served a notice at the residence of the Deubas at Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, asking her to appear at its office in Tangal within three days, excluding travel time from the date the notice was served.
The notice states that, in relation to a corruption-related complaint filed by the government against Deuba and others concerning passport printing procedures, her presence is required for investigation purposes. It further instructs her to appear at the CIAA’s Section No. 12, Room No. 12, Tangal, Kathmandu within three days of receipt or posting of the notice, excluding travel time, failing which legal action will be taken.
It is reported that the Deuba couple had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment on February 25, 2026 and are currently believed to be in Hong Kong.
In the same passport printing case, the CIAA has already arrested several individuals, including the Director General of the Department of Passports, Tirtha Raj Aryal, while other officials and representatives of the contractor company have also been summoned for questioning.
Meanwhile, following allegations of corruption in the passport procurement case, former minister Deuba has sent an email to the CIAA after a summons was served at her residence seeking her statement. According to CIAA sources, an email was received at the Commission’s official address on Wednesday in the name of Arzu Rana Deuba. “A message has been received in the name of Arzu stating that she is ready to cooperate with the investigation but is unable to appear immediately due to her treatment,” a CIAA source said.
