The testimonies of five defendants, including Rastriya Swatantra Party President and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, accused in a cooperative fraud case, will begin today at the Kaski District Court.
Earlier, on Sunday, the District Government Attorney’s Office in Kaski filed charges against Lamichhane and 31 others in connection with the cooperative fraud case. Lamichhane faces charges not only for cooperative fraud but also for organized crime and money laundering.
Suraj Adhikari, the Information Officer at the Kaski District Court, confirmed that the testimonies of the five defendants, including Lamichhane and Chhabilal Joshi, would begin. “After the court session concludes, the defendants’ testimonies will begin. Only after the testimony is completed will the detention order be issued,” he said.
The District Government Attorney’s Office has stated that a total of 63 individuals have been charged in the cooperative fraud case related to the Sunydarshan Cooperative in Pokhara.
Assistant District Attorney Shantidevi Sharma from the Kaski District Government Attorney’s Office informed that charges for organized crime have also been filed against Lamichhane and 19 others. Furthermore, Lamichhane, Ram Bahadur Khanal, Chhabilal Joshi, and Leela Pichhai face charges of money laundering.
A claim of financial damage amounting to NPR 27.89 million has been filed in connection with Lamichhane’s money laundering case. Similarly, a claim of NPR 74.34 million has been made against Chhabilal Joshi for money laundering. Assistant District Attorney Sharma also mentioned that NPR 14.3 million in damages has been claimed against Khanal, and NPR 24.67 million against Pichhai.
In the cooperative fraud case, damages of NPR 3.37 million have been claimed against Lamichhane, NPR 5.26 million against Joshi, and NPR 2.14 million against Dipesh Pun. The Government Attorney’s Office has registered cases against other individuals involved in the fraud, seeking appropriate damages and punishment.
Lamichhane was arrested on November 2 in Kathmandu on charges of misappropriating savings from the cooperative. Investigations are ongoing in Kaski and other districts regarding cooperative fraud. Meanwhile, the main planner of the Sunydarshan Cooperative fraud, GB Rai, along with other suspects, remains at large.