Kaski District Court grants six-day custody for investigation of Lamichhane

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 20: The Kaski District Court has granted a six-day custody of Rabi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Home Minister, to facilitate an ongoing investigation into allegations of cooperative fraud and organized crime.

Lamichhane, who was arrested last Friday from the RSP’s central office in Chabahil, Kathmandu, was transferred to Pokhara and presented before the court on Sunday. The bench, led by Judge Nawaraj Dahal, authorized his detention based on a request from law enforcement, as confirmed by court spokesperson Suraj Adhikari.

A parliamentary investigation committee had previously concluded that Rs 650 million had been illicitly transferred from several cooperatives into Gorkha Media, the parent company of Galaxy Television, where Lamichhane formerly held the position of Managing Director. The committee’s findings implicated Lamichhane in the misuse of these funds and recommended legal action.

The cooperative victims had lodged a formal complaint against Lamichhane at the Kaski District Police Office on February 5, 2023. In response to these allegations, he was taken into custody and presented before the Kaski District Court on Sunday for further legal proceedings.