BHAIRAHAWA: The statement of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane, recorded at the office of the district attorney, Rupandehi in Bhairahawa, concluded on Thursday afternoon. Lamichhane’s statement had been ongoing since Tuesday.
According to police sources, Lamichhane was questioned orally on Tuesday, followed by approximately 70 written questions asked on Wednesday and Thursday.
The statement was recorded by a team of government investigation officers led by District Attorney Prem Raj Paudel.
During his statement, Lamichhane denied involvement in the cooperative fraud case, asserting that the deposit of cooperative funds into Gorkha Media Network was done with the knowledge of Gorkha Media Chair Gitendra Babu Rai (GB).
Lamichhane faces allegations of illegally transferring 142.9 million rupees from Supreme Cooperative to Gorkha Media Network in violation of cooperative laws.
Lamichhane admitted to handling 19.6 million rupees deposited in his private account from Supreme Cooperative through checks but claimed he was unaware of who made the deposit.
He reiterated this during Thursday’s questioning while denying involvement in cooperative fraud, asserting he is not a member of Supreme Cooperative.
Most of the questions posed to Lamichhane over the two days were reportedly met with denials. However, he admitted to managing the deposited 19.6 million rupees, which was deposited into his Global IME Bank account by Supreme Cooperative employee Roshani Gurung.
Roshani previously testified in a parliamentary probe, stating she deposited 20 million rupees in Lamichhane’s name under the direction of cooperative manager Sagar KC.
According to Gurung’s statement, KC instructed her to open the account in Lamichhane’s name, though she claimed to have had no knowledge of the account holder.
Parliamentary reports also revealed that five cooperatives’ funds were transferred to Galaxy Television through Gorkha Media Network, managed by GB, who was also Supreme Cooperative’s chair.
Earlier, in a Supreme Court hearing, Lamichhane’s lawyers acknowledged the deposit of Supreme Cooperative funds under his name, referring to it as a “sweat share.”
After concluding his statement in Rupandehi, authorities plan to transfer Lamichhane to Pokhara on Thursday, depending on weather conditions.
Lamichhane faces allegations of involvement in fund misuse from both Supreme Cooperative in Butwal and Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara.
The parliamentary investigation report cites an illegal transfer of 142.9 million rupees from Supreme Cooperative to Gorkha Media Network. The report specifies deposits under various names, including 19.6 million rupees in Lamichhane’s name, 25 million rupees in Chhabilal Joshi’s name, and 125 million rupees in others’ names, all directed to Gorkha Media Network.
The Kaski District Court granted 13 additional days of detention for further investigation on Sunday. Lamichhane was initially detained in Kathmandu on Kartik 2, with extensions granted for 5, 7, and 10 days. Police in Kaski are investigating charges of cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering against Lamichhane.
Police are permitted to detain individuals for up to 25 days for cooperative fraud, 60 days for organized crime, and 90 days for money laundering investigations.
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