Case filed against Rabi Lamichhane on three counts

Kathmandu, December 22 —  A case has been filed against the President of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rabi Lamichhane, at the District Court of Kaski for three criminal offenses.

According to Shanti Devi Sharma, the Information Officer at the District Government Attorney's Office in Kaski, an indictment has been filed against Lamichhane in the court.

Sharma mentioned that the charges against Lamichhane include organized crime, cooperative fraud, and money laundering.

The case was filed on the 92nd day after the arrest of former DIG Chhabilal Joshi, with Lamichhane and Joshi, along with 44 others, named as defendants.

Five individuals have been named as defendants solely for the purpose of confiscating assets based on the financial irregularities involved.

The police had recommended naming 51 individuals as defendants, and they suggested charges of money laundering, cooperative fraud, and organized crime against Lamichhane and 49 others.

Additionally, they recommended charges under the Central Bank Act for GB Rai and Lila Pachhai. However, the Government Attorney's Office filed the case with a reduced number of defendants.

According to police investigations, Rabi Lamichhane and his group, including GB Rai, embezzled 1.51 billion rupees from the Surydarshan Cooperative.

It was found that 54.8 million rupees from Surydarshan's deposits were misappropriated and transferred to Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Ltd.

Lamichhane, Joshi, Pachaaini, Ram Bahadur Khanal, and Krishna Gurung have been arrested in connection with the embezzlement.