Kathmandu, October 18, 2024 – In a significant development, former Deputy Prime Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane was apprehended today from the RSP central office in Baneshwor, Kathmandu. The arrest, executed by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), follows allegations of Lamichhane’s involvement in a major cooperatives fraud case.
The Kaski District Court issued an arrest warrant against Lamichhane and 13 others, including prominent figures like Bishal Tamang and Navin Achami. The court’s decision was based on a report by a parliamentary Special Committee of Inquiry, which recommended legal action against Lamichhane for his role in misappropriating funds from various cooperatives.
Lamichhane is accused of embezzling millions of rupees funneled into Gorkha Media Network from cooperatives during his tenure as the managing director of the now-defunct network. The investigation has revealed that over Rs 1.35 billion was misused in the Suryadarshan Cooperatives scandal.
The arrest has triggered a wave of reactions, with many of Lamichhane’s supporters gathering outside the RSP headquarters. Lamichhane has vehemently denied the allegations, taking to social media to criticize the government’s actions.
This arrest marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing investigation into cooperative fraud, which has impacted numerous depositors across Nepal. The case has also broadened to include charges of organized crime, further complicating the legal proceedings.