KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 17

After the parliamentary committee submitted its investigation report on cooperative fund embezzlement, a new debate has erupted over whether Lamichhane's guilt.

The former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is involved in the misappropriation of cooperative funds, according to the report of the special parliamentary inquiry committee . However, after Lamichhane supporters claimed the report had given Lamichhane a clean cheat.

Lamichhane and his party leaders claim that he was 'proven innocent' after the committee failed to confirm his involvement in the misappropriation of cooperative funds, while others argue that the committee 'found him guilty and recommended action.'

Rastriya Swatantra Party's first national meeting began on Tuesday in the capital, with the RSP and other party members providing a positive interpretation of the parliamentary committee report.

While speaking at the event, Lamichhane and RSP leaders repeated the statement that Lamichhane was 'found innocent' by the parliamentary committee.

Lamichhane also reiterated the same that he is innocent. He stated that he was not involved in the cooperative fraud case. 'Cooperative Thug' is nearly over. You must have anticipated what the proof would be. We do not have much to say,' he said. 'I did not make a mistake, friends; rest assured.'

A special committee led by legislator Surya Thapa was formed to investigate the misappropriation of cooperative savings. Thapa presented the committee's report to the House of Representatives on Monday.

According to the report, action has been recommended against those directly and indirectly involved in the embezzlement of savings from 40 cooperatives across Nepal.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire directed on Monday that the report be sent to the government for 'necessary action.' The full text of the report has not yet been made public, but details of the suggestions and recommendations in paragraph 18 have been made available.

In that paragraph of the report, some issues regarding Lamichhane are raised, and it is recommended that he be dealt with in accordance with the law.

According to the committee's report, out of the seven cooperatives in which Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, who is currently absconding, is involved, Gorkha Media, the operator of Galaxy Television, in which Rabi Lamichhane is also involved, has illegally brought in funds from five of the cooperatives.

'The company's directors or shareholders bear primary responsibility in such an organisation. The characters in the roles and responsibilities of shareholders, board members, and managing directors should not ignore their responsibility and liability for the funds received by the company,' reads the report.

'After the money of the cooperative's savers was irregularly transferred to Gorkha Media's account, it was discovered that they were involved in the process of spending the money and making it available to the company while the directors GB Rai and member Kumar Ramtel, as well as the then-managing director Rabi Lamichhane and director Chabilal Joshi, were partners in the company. It has been recommended to the government to take action in accordance with the prevailing law because it is liable for the amount.'

Meanwhile, senior advocate and former lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari stated that the parliamentary probe committee had politically indicated RSP chair Lamichhane, but this would only serve as reference material for concerned government agencies to investigate Lamichhane for his alleged role in the misappropriation of cooperative funds.

'Now the concerned government agencies will have to independently investigate the people named in the report and prosecute them in accordance with the law,' he stated.

However, RSP leaders interpreted the probe committee's report differently. While leaving the House meeting on Monday, RSP chair Lamichhane and vice chair Swarnim Wagle claimed that the committee had acquitted Lamichhane of charges of embezzling cooperative funds.

They said they welcomed the committee's report and noted that Shishir Khanal, the RSP member on the committee, did not even write a note of dissent 'because the report had acquitted the party chairman.' RSP leaders also claimed that other parties' accusations were proven false.