 and former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.){kind=link}
The government prosecutor is set to present a rebuttal today in the ongoing case involving Rabi Lamichhane, Chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. The case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of savings from the Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara.
On Wednesday, legal representatives of the cooperative victims concluded their rebuttal arguments after the defense arguments from Lamichhane and the six other accused were completed. According to Kaski District Court Registrar Rajan Khanal, the rebuttal will continue in the court of Judge Nitij Rai, where the hearing on pretrial detention for the seven accused has been ongoing since January 1 (Poush 16).
The case involves former DIG Chhabilal Joshi, Leela Pachaee, Krishna Bahadur Gurung, Ram Bahadur Khanal, and others alongside Lamichhane, with the primary focus on determining whether the accused should be remanded in custody or released pending investigation.
The District Government Attorney’s Office filed the case on December 22 (Poush 7) against Lamichhane and 43 others, alleging embezzlement of cooperative funds, organized crime, and money laundering. The prosecution has so far filed cases against 63 individuals in connection with the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud. Among them, 19 individuals, including Lamichhane, face additional charges of organized crime, while Lamichhane, Khanal, Joshi, and Pachaee also face charges related to money laundering.
The court’s decision following the pretrial detention hearing will determine whether the accused will be held in custody during further investigation or allowed to remain free.