Rabi Lamichhane, the Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Home Minister, is set to face case registration in the District Court today while under police custody in Kaski for alleged cooperative fraud. The process of recording his statements will commence tomorrow, followed by a debate to determine whether he will remain in detention.
On Poush 1, the Kaski District Police submitted its investigation report to the Office of the Government Attorney. Based on this report, a case was filed on Poush 5 against 19 individuals, including Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, the Chairman of Gorkha Media Pvt. Ltd.
The District Government Attorney’s Office confirmed that Lamichhane would face charges not only for cooperative fraud but also for organized crime and money laundering.
Rabi Lamichhane has been in police custody in Kaski since Kartik 3 due to his involvement in the Surya Darshan Cooperative fraud case in Pokhara. The Parliamentary Investigation Special Committee had earlier suggested taking legal action against him, citing his role as the managing director of Gorkha Media Network. The committee alleged that Lamichhane was part of a scheme to misappropriate funds from several cooperatives, including Pokhara’s Surya Darshan Cooperative, Butwal’s Supreme Savings and Credit Cooperative, Kathmandu’s Swarnalakshmi Cooperative, Sahara Chitwan Multipurpose Cooperative, Birgunj’s Sano Paila Savings and Credit Cooperative, and Nepalgunj’s Samanata Cooperative. These funds were allegedly diverted into Gorkha Media.
Following the recommendations of this report, former DIG Chhabilal Joshi was arrested in Kathmandu on Asoj 6 and taken to Pokhara regarding the Surya Darshan fraud. Similarly, Lamichhane was detained on Kartik 2 and transported to Pokhara overnight. Statements were also recorded in Butwal, Chitwan, Kathmandu, and Birgunj during the investigation process.
