KATHMANDU, Nov 1: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane will be taken to Butwal for investigation soon after Tihar regarding a fraud complaint linked to the Supreme Cooperative in Butwal.
The custody period granted by the District Court of Kaski expired on Wednesday, and with the court closed for the Tihar holiday from Thursday, police will seek an extension when it reopens. A Kaski police official stated that upon receiving the extension, Lamichhane will be transferred to Butwal for further inquiry.
Lamichhane was initially arrested in Kathmandu on charges related to the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case and subsequently transferred to Kaski. The Kaski police have completed initial investigations, and are preparing to transfer the case to Butwal for additional inquiries.
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During questioning, Lamichhane denied any involvement in the cooperative’s financial mismanagement, claiming that management responsibilities were handled by the company chairman GB Rai and that he had no knowledge of the cooperative’s financial management, or transactions. He further stated that the “Rabi Lamichhane” name in the records does not refer to him and denied signing any loan documents.
Kaski police had previously traveled to Kathmandu to present Lamichhane’s statement to a parliamentary investigation committee. In a related case, Chhabilal Joshi, also linked to the Supreme Cooperative fraud allegations, has been transferred to Butwal after completing his statement in Kaski.
The Rupandehi District Court has ordered bringing 14 individuals into judicial investigation, including Lamichhane and Joshi. Both remain in police custody under allegations of embezzling the cooperative funds by channeling hundreds of millions rupees into the Gorkha Media.
Similar investigations are underway at Sano Paila in Birgunj, Sahara in Chitwan, and Swarnalaxmi Cooperative in Kathmandu, focusing on allegations of cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering.
