Nepalese authorities have cleared a former finance minister of possessing two passports and citizenships, local media reported Thursday, according to dpa. The government panel investigating the case against Lahrkyal Lama concluded Wednesday that he only had Nepali citizenship, contrary to allegations that led to his resignation in April. Media reports had said Lama also held an Indian passport and an identity card saying he was a Tibetan refugee. Nepalis are forbidden by law from holding other passports. The investigation did not address other accusations in the media that Lama had used government letterheads and stamps to issue fake certificates to Tibetans to help them obtain US visas, and stolen 50,000 dollars from a US woman. In April, the Chinese embassy expressed dissatisfaction over Lama's appointment as state minister, due to his connections with the Free Tibet movement.
