KATHMANDU, JANUARY 21
Rastriya Swatantra Party chairperson Rabi Lamichhane arrived in Rupandehi on Tuesday after a case was filed in the Rupandehi District Court alleging misappropriation of deposits from Butwal's Supreme Cooperative.
According to RSP co-treasurer Deepak Bohora, Lamichhane, who arrived in Bhairahawa on Buddha Air on Tuesday afternoon, is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, other leaders of RSP and lawyers and legal experts on Lamichhane's side arrived in Rupandehi a few days ago.
Last Sunday, a case was filed in the Rupandehi District Court against 22 individuals, including Rabi Lamichhane, the then-Managing Director of Gorkha Media Network. Lamichhane, who was previously granted bail by the Kaski and Kathmandu District Courts, is set to appear in court on Wednesday, according to Bohora.
The chargesheet filed with the court sought collective damages of Rs 555.983 million against 22 people. Similarly, Lamichhane has been sued for personal damages totalling Rs 20 million. The government attorney's office has filed new charges against 14 people and supplementary charges against eight in the cooperative fraud case.
The District Attorney's Office has filed a case against Lamichhane for cooperative fraud and organised crime, citing various facts and evidence of cooperative fraud.
Previously, a case was filed against 28 people for embezzlement of Supreme's savings totalling Rs. 861.823 million and only for cooperative fraud. Lamichhane was then the home minister.
Anantaraj Marasini, information officer at the Rupandehi District Court, stated that a case has been filed against 22 people, including Lamichhane and Joshi, for cooperative fraud and organised crime, as well as 17 people, including GB Rai, for additional offences and fines.
The government attorney's office has also filed a cooperative fraud, organised crime, and money laundering case against Supreme Cooperative's director, Dinesh Roka.
The investigation revealed that 1.31 billion rupees were misappropriated from Supreme Cooperative's 10,391 savers. Advocate Yagyamani Neupane has arrived in Bhairahawa to coordinate legal professionals for Lamichhane.
Prior to this, Lamichhane was released on bail, paying a hefty amount of 6 million and 6.5 million in Kaski District Court and Kathmandu District Court, respectively.
Lamichhane is still facing charges in Kaski for organised crime and money laundering as well as the misuse of savings from the Pokhara-based Surya Darshan Cooperative.
The Kaski District Court ordered him to be remanded in custody for a regular trial, noting that 'there is no reasonable basis to believe that the defendant is no longer guilty'.
In Kathmandu, he has been charged with embezzling Swarnalakshmi Cooperative savings and organised crime. Last week, the government attorney's office filed a case against 39 people, including Lamichhane, alleging that they embezzled the Swarnalakshmi Cooperative's savings and defrauded depositors and that the act was carried out in an organised manner.
Investigations into Lamichhane were launched in several districts after a parliamentary special committee established to investigate cooperative problems recommended action against him.
According to officials, investigations into cooperative fraud and organised crime against Lamichhane are currently underway in Rupandehi, Chitwan, and Parsa, as well as Kaski and Kathmandu.
