A human trafficking racket has reportedly transported unrelated Nepali youths to Spain by falsely presenting them as participants in an international conference where Nepal’s former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was also present.

The youths were allegedly registered to attend the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development organized by the United Nations, under the non-governmental organization (NGO) category, and were taken to Europe under this guise.

According to one youth who contacted Nepali media from Spain, he and others were promised participation in the conference held from June 30 to July 2, 2025, and arrangements for them to stay in Spain. The youth claimed he was offered the opportunity through an acquaintance who said they would be registered for the UN event in Spain, but did not mention PM Oli’s participation at the time.

The fourth edition of the conference was decided to be held in Seville, Spain, following the 2023 session in Doha. For this, registrations from stakeholders and applications from interested participants were invited nearly a year in advance.

As per the official website of the conference, participants could include UN member states, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as observers. Registrations were to be completed online through the website.

Documents obtained by Nepali media suggest the trafficking group submitted forms using forged NGO credentials, and approval letters were issued by the organizers accordingly.

Another youth currently in Spain revealed that the trafficking group even provided them with an official approval letter from the event organizers.

“Perhaps they applied on our behalf without our knowledge. After receiving the approval letter, we were told to go to Delhi for visa processing,” he said. “I went there with some other individuals.”

The approval letter, dated about a month before the conference, stated that while participation was approved, the visa process remained separate, and applicants were advised to complete the remaining steps. The UN’s Letter of Approval was to be submitted as one of the key documents for the visa.

“Once we submitted that document, getting the visa was easy. There weren’t many questions asked,” the youth added. “Later, we found ourselves on the same flight as Prime Minister Oli from Kathmandu.”

Several individuals reportedly took photos with PM Oli onboard the flight. However, none of them were listed as official members of the Prime Minister’s delegation. The Prime Minister’s Office also claimed no knowledge of these individuals.

According to the documents carried by the youth, he was presented as a representative of a certain NGO.

“Another young man seated next to me on the plane said he had also paid the group to travel to Spain,” he said. The group flew from Kathmandu, transited through Doha, Qatar, and landed in Madrid, Spain, but they did not attend the official program afterward.

“Although we had documents for hotel bookings, we didn’t go to the event,” he said under the condition of anonymity. “Separate accommodation and job arrangements were promised to us.”

Some related documents have been presented below: