Rumors of Lamichhane's arrest escalate, Court denies issuance of warrant

Kathmandu, October 18 — Rumors of a pending arrest of Rabi Lamichhane, the president of the Rashtriya Swotantra Party (RSP), have circulated widely; however, the Kaski District Court has confirmed that no arrest warrant has yet been issued.

Suraj Adhikari, the court's information officer, stated today that the court had only just reopened and there was no information regarding any arrest warrant. "As of now, there is no information on this matter. What will happen in the future remains to be seen," he remarked in a conversation with Ratopati.

The cooperative fraud investigation committee had concluded that Lamichhane was responsible for the expenditure after funds from the cooperative reached the Gorkha Media Network.

In line with that report, his former partner at the Gorkha Media Network, Chhabilal Joshi, has already been apprehended.

Additionally, the police are conducting a separate investigation against Lamichhane for alleged embezzlement related to funds brought to the Gorkha Media Network in collaboration with Giten Babu (GB) Rai, the founder chairman of the Surya Darshan Cooperative.

Joshi was arrested on Ashwin 6 (September 22) on allegations of embezzling funds from Surya Darshan. The police have since taken his statement.

Former DIG Joshi, former Home Minister Lamichhane, and Giten Babu Rai are business partners. According to a parliamentary investigation committee led by Surya Thapa, the Gorkha Media Network received 654 million rupees illegally from five cooperatives. Lamichhane was a director at Gorkha Media.

Joshi reportedly parted ways with Gorkha Media in 2078 (2021), while Lamichhane distanced himself in 2079 (2022). Investigations have indicated that funds from the cooperative were received illegally during their tenures.

In his statement to the police, Joshi mentioned that his disagreements arose after he attempted to mortgage his home, leading to his exit from Gorkha Media.

While speculation about Lamichhane's arrest has stirred discussions within RSP, it coincides with a meeting held by the opposition parties on Friday amidst these rumors.