KATHMANDU, APRIL 1
Rabi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), met Speaker Devraj Ghimire at his office in Singha Durbar today to request that the suspension of his lawmaker post be lifted.
Lamichhane had also petitioned Speaker Ghimire about two months ago also to have his suspension lifted, claiming that he had been released from jail after submitting bail.
RSP Acting Spokesperson Manish Jha stated that they met the Speaker today to remind him of the pending request.
RSP Vice-chairperson Dol Prasad Aryal, Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar, Whip Nisha Dangi, and leaders Sobita Gautam, Ashok Chaudhary, Shiva Nepali, and Dr Toshima Karki, among others, attended the meeting.
They urged Speaker Ghimire for further discussion on the issue, objecting to the practice of suspending lawmakers as soon as a case is filed against them.
On December 23, 2024, the Federal Parliament Secretariat had issued a notice suspending Lamichhane from his position following a money laundering investigation.
Meanwhile, Shekhar Adhikari, the Speaker's press coordinator, stated that the speaker informed Lamichhane that while he was not opposed to lifting the suspension, legal obstacles have prevented him from reinstating Lamichhane.
"I consulted with the attorney general as soon as the issue arose, but I have yet to receive a response from him. However, it appears that due to the legal complexities of your case, I am unable to comment on the matter," Adhikari quoted the speaker as saying.
Previously, Kaski Police wrote to the House of Representatives Secretariat, requesting that Lamichhane's position as a Member of Parliament be suspended. Following the letter, the Parliament Secretariat had issued a notice citing Section 27 of the Money Laundering Act of 2008.
The Article 27 of the Money Laundering Prevention Act (2008) states that once a case has been registered, the post is automatically suspended of any official or staff of any bank, financial institution, non-financial institution or civil servant.
However, lawmakers, including the RSP's chief whip, had met Speaker Devraj Ghimire and requested that Lamichhane not be suspended from his position as a legislator.
Lamichhane, a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan constituency, is also the parliamentary party leader of the RSP. He was arrested in Kathmandu on October 18 on charges of cooperative fraud. He was detained by Kaski District Police for 84 days. He returned to the RSP office today after five-and-a-half months.
Prosecutors have sought to recoup Rs 278.94 million from him in a money laundering case.
He was granted bail in cases previously filed against him in Kaski, Kathmandu, Rupandehi and Chitwan districts, while the complaint filed against him in Parsa is under investigation.
Lamichhane and his party have claimed that the various charges against them stem from a political vendetta.
Lamichhane remained silent for more than five months following the investigation and allegations. However, he attended the RSP central committee meeting while serving as president.
He also slammed the ruling parties, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, claiming that they are simply masking themselves as republicans. "Ruling parties are not republicans; they are merely masquerading as republicans. RSP does not portray such characters," he stated.
