Home Minister directs for implementing special committee report on cooperative fraud

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 22 : Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has directed the Nepal Police to implement the findings of the parliamentary special investigation committee regarding the misuse of cooperative savings. On Sunday, he instructed the police headquarters to take immediate action based on the committee's report, according to ministry sources.

The report recommends investigating four individuals, including former Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Ravi Lamichhane, the former managing director of Gorkha Media, and two others implicated in a cooperative fraud case. This report was previously forwarded to the Home, Cooperative, Finance, and Industry ministries following a cabinet decision.

The public report, released last Friday, calls for investigations into Lamichhane, Gorkha Media Chairman Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chhabilal Joshi, and director Kumar Ramtehl for offences including fraud, forgery, organized crime, and money laundering.

Section 8 of the parliamentary committee's report indicates that the cooperative fraud case involves violations of the Cooperative Act 2074, the forgery provisions of the Penal Code, the Organized Crime Prevention Act 2070, and the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2064. Gorkha Media reportedly received Rs 655.4 million from cooperatives such as Surya Darshan in Pokhara, Sahara in Chitwan, Supreme in Butwal, and Swarnalakshmi in Kathmandu, with GB Rai and Lamichhane being prominent figures in the company. The report outlines various legal infractions, including the misappropriation of cooperative funds, the creation of fraudulent documents for share transactions, and the misrepresentation of investment sources.