Nepal’s deputy PM loses job over citizenship

Nepal’s Supreme Court on Friday disqualified Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane from his posts after he was found guilty of producing an ‘invalid’ citizenship certificate to contest the recent general elections.

The minister tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda after the apex court verdict. The verdict was pronounced by a Constitutional Bench of the Nepal SC headed by Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki. The other Justices on the bench were Justices Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Sinha.

“As Rabi Lamichhane has not completed the process for reacquiring his Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship, he cannot be a candidate for the position of a member of the House of Representatives or be elected to that position,” read the Supreme Court verdict on Friday.

“After giving up the US citizenship, Lamichhane was not found adhering to the legal process to acquire Nepali citizenship again. So, he did not deserve to be the candidate of the member of the House of Representatives nor could hold the lawmaker’s post,” the Bench ruled further.

“With this, a certiorari order is issued as per Article 133 (b and c) and Article 137 of the Constitution of Nepal by scrapping all activities making Lamichhane an election candidate, announcing his election victory, and conferring him the certificate,” the apex court said.

Speaking to reporters on Friday evening while walking out of the Ministry of Home Affairs, post the Supreme Court verdict, Lamichhane said, “As a noncitizen, I have nothing left to say.”

However, he said he welcomes the decision of the country’s apex court. “I welcome and accept the SC’s decision,” he said.

He said he had absolutely no idea what his status and the future move would be. He also added that he no longer was the Chairman of Rastriya Swatantra Party.

A television personalityturned-politician, Lamichhane was declared stateless as he does not have any official documents to attest to his nationality.