Nepal's Ex-Home Minister Appears in Kathmandu Court Over Cooperative Fraud Case

Nepal's former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Rabi Lamichhane, appeared before the Kathmandu District Court on Sunday for an investigation related to the alleged Swarnalakshmi Cooperative fraud case.

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Lamichhane, who was released on bail after 84 days in custody, arrived in his own vehicle, waved at the media, and entered the court without making any comments.

The founder of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Lamichhane, was released on bail by the Kaski District Court on Thursday in a separate fraud case involving the Suryadarshan Cooperative. He arrived in Kathmandu late on Friday evening after being granted bail in a case involving misappropriation of funds amounting to Nepalese Rupee 6.5 million.

The Kathmandu District Government Attorney's Office, based on police investigations, filed a case against Lamichhane and 38 others on January 5. The accused include former board members of Gorkha Media Pvt Ltd and key officials from Swarnalaxmi Cooperative. Among the accused are former vice chair Chhabilal Joshi, chair Gitendra Babu Rai, vice chair Devendra Babu Rai, treasurer Kumar Ramtel, and several others. The charges include misappropriating approximately Nepalese Rupee 1.199 billion.