Asia-Pacific Newsweek
December 23, 2024
kathmandu – Kaski District Police have formally requested Speaker Devraj Ghimire to suspend Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman and MP Rabi Lamichane from parliamentary duties. Prior to this, charges against Lamichane were filed before the Kaski District Court under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2008.
The charges stem from Lamichane's alleged involvement in the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case. Apart from Ramichan, 30 others, including former Inspector General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Chabilal Joshi, have also been charged with collaborating in fraud, organized crime and money laundering.
Under Section 27 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Lamichane will be automatically suspended if charges are laid. The provision provides that officers facing such charges remain suspended until the case is resolved. Since the House of Representatives meeting is not currently underway, Speaker Ghimil is expected to issue a notice on the parliamentary bulletin board to formally announce the suspension.
The chargesheet in the Kaski District Court revealed that Ramichhane and his associates were involved in embezzlement of more than Rs 270 crore. The charges include cooperation to commit fraud (penalty of four to six years in prison), organized crime (plus a 50% penalty) and money laundering (two to 15 years in prison and a fine double the amount of embezzlement).
The charge sheet also implicates eight companies and several cooperatives, including Suryadarshan Cooperative, in diverting funds to ventures such as Gorkha Media Network, which owned the now-defunct Galaxy 4K TV. Ramichhane was reportedly a partner in the network before resigning to enter politics in June 2022.
The Kaski District Attorney's Office has been increasing its investigation into cooperative fraud. Supplementary chargesheets filed earlier target other cooperatives and individuals, further suggesting widespread financial irregularities by Ramichahn and his network.
Ramichahn, who represents Chitwan 2 constituency in parliament and leads the Royal Socialist Party (RSP) parliamentary party, now faces legal and political challenges as the investigation proceeds.
