Rabi Lamichhane Faces Cooperative Fraud Charges Only in Rupandehi Court

Butwal. Rupandehi District Court has allowed the amendment of charges related to organized crime and money laundering, excluding cooperative fraud, against Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane.

The district judge Ramesh Kant Adhikari's bench, upon hearing the request of the District Attorney's Office, granted permission to amend the charges. With this order, only the cooperative fraud case will now remain against Lamichhane in Rupandehi.

Lamichhane, along with GB Rai, Kumar Ramtel, and others, were named as defendants in the case of misappropriation of savings from the Supreme Savings and Credit Cooperative Institution in Butwal, operated by the GB Rai group. Following the court's order, the charges related to organized crime and money laundering against them have been dropped.

According to Padam Aryal, Information Officer of the Rupandehi District Court, the court issued the order to amend the charges on Asar 1 based on the application filed by the District Attorney's Office.

He clarified, 'After the amendment of the case, only the charge of cooperative fraud will remain against Rabi.' He further explained that the court's order was based on the application submitted by the party that filed the case.

The District Attorney's Office filed the application in court after receiving a circular from the Attorney General's Office concluding that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charges of organized crime and money laundering.

Following the court's order, the process of returning the savings of the victims will be easier, and the possibility of a settlement in the case will open up, stated Lamichhane's legal counsel Mahendra Pandey to Ratopati. According to him, with only the cooperative fraud case remaining, a legal path for reconciliation with the victims has opened.

Previously, Parsa and Kaski District Courts had also granted permission to amend the charges. In those districts as well, only the charge of cooperative fraud currently stands against Rabi.

In its order, the Rupandehi District Court has stated that the charges of organized crime and money laundering will be amended in accordance with Section 36 of the Muluki Criminal Procedure Code, 2074, while keeping the charge of cooperative fraud intact.

However, the case related to fraud and organized crime remains in the Kathmandu District Court, according to advocate Pandey. Similarly, in the case filed in Chitwan, only the charge of cooperative fraud was filed from the beginning.

During the investigation, cases were filed in five districts against Lamichhane on allegations of investing and spending funds from cooperatives operated by the GB Rai group in Gorkha Media Network Private Limited. According to the police report, 142.9 million rupees from Supreme Cooperative in Butwal went to Gorkha Media Network, of which 19.6 million rupees went in Lamichhane's name.

In this case, Lamichhane and former DIG Chhabi Raj Joshi, the then vice-president of Gorkha Media, are undergoing trial on bail. They were in Bhairahawa prison for some time. The then chairman of Supreme Cooperative, Om Gurung, is currently in custody for trial.

The main accused in this case, GB Rai, is still absconding. Although the police have kept him on the absconder list and are searching for him, he has not been apprehended so far.