KATHMANDU, JULY 10

The victims of cooperatives' scams have demanded a probe against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

The cooperatives' victims demanded this while speaking before the Parliamentary Probe Special Committee on Misuse of Savings Funds. They claimed that Lamichhane, the managing director of the then-Gorkha Media Network Private Limited, had invested one billion rupees in the Gorkha Media Network.

The majority of the cooperative victims who attended the committee demanded that it conduct an impartial investigation and deliver justice to the victims. They demand that the money be returned immediately.

The victims of Sahara Savings and Credit Cooperative, claimed that the investment was made in the Gorkha Media Network in violation of the cooperative's policies and laws and that even powerful figures like the Home Minister should be held accountable and face consequences if found guilty.

The chair of Gorkha Media Pvt. Ltd., GB Rai, is currently absconding, while Home Minister Lamichhane was the managing director of Gorkha Media Network before entering politics.

Speaking at the discussion of the committee, Shaligram Duwadi, a victim of Sahara Multi-Purpose Cooperative, said around 51 crores of Sahara savings had gone to Gorkha Media Network and others.

'The victims sued them. However, Chitwan police stopped the probe after the name of Gorkha Media Network Pvt appeared,' he said and asked. 'Why was the probe stopped as soon as the name of Gorkha Media Network Pvt. appeared.'

Duwadi emphasised the importance of taking action against those who misused Sahara Cooperative funds for Gorkha Media. 'Regardless of how powerful the officials are, conduct a thorough investigation into them, and if found guilty, freeze their movable property and bank accounts, and compensate the victims,' he added.

Another victim of Oriental Cooperative funds misappropriation, Khagendranath Kafle, claimed that cooperative managers invested co-operative savings in real estate at their discretion, and the land was transferred to other people's names to collect the depositors' money. 'The government should take over all cooperatives' property and compensate the victims,' he stated.

Chakra Bahadur Shrestha, a victim of Shiva Shikhar Multi-purpose Cooperative Ltd., stated that he has been struggling for more than two years and has not heard from anyone. He stated that an amount of 260 million in the names of the cooperative's owners, Kedarnath and Geeta Sharma had been frozen.

'This amount could help return the money of 100,000 savers,' he stated. 'The committee should secure money as cooperative investments in various companies have begun to be auctioned.'

Similarly, Dinesh Ghimire, a victim of Ideal Yamuna Multi-Purpose Cooperative, said that the investigation committee should leave behind the baggage of the party and politics and facilitate the delivery of justice to the cooperative victims.

'To resolve the issue, the committee must listen to the voices of the victims and rescuers, not the voices of the perpetrators,' he said. 'The cooperative department failed to provide justice to the victims; the victims were also hampered by the police, even though they went to the police in accordance with the law.'

Likewise, Image Savings and Credit Cooperative victim Dil Bahadur Karki suggested that the members of the investigation committee approach the cooperative victims and listen to their concerns.

'The cooperative's chair, Devkumar Nepali, personally acquired wealth from the savers. His true worth is Rs 2 billion. The embezzlement is Rs 2 billion, 35 million. If the property is auctioned, depositors will not be able to receive the savings,' he argued.

The discussion at Singha Durbar included despositors and members who had lost money due to cooperative fund misappropriation. Surya Thapa, committee chairperson, stated that the problems seen in the cooperative sector and the problems they face were directly sourced from them.

The 32 participants in the discussion are coordinators from various committees formed in the names of cooperative and representative victims. Thapa stated that the committee believes that the victims' suggestions will be important in determining the facts and reaching a conclusion.