KATHMANDU: In the wake of the government’s formation of a parliamentary inquiry committee to investigate the misappropriation of cooperative savings funds, leaders from both ruling and opposition parties are increasingly implicated.
Under the coordination of CPN-UML Member of Parliament Surya Bahadur Thapa, the government established the ‘Cooperative Organization Savings Parliamentary Inquiry Special Committee.’
This committee was given a four-point terms of reference (TOR) and was initially tasked with submitting its report within three months.
As the committee progresses, names of leaders from various parties are emerging in connection with the misappropriation of cooperative funds.
The inquiry committee was formed in response to demands from the then-opposition party, now the ruling Nepali Congress.
As the Chairman of the Accounts Committee, Pokharel’s role in the scandal has raised concerns about his adherence to financial discipline.
Initially, former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, also the Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), was accused of embezzling cooperative funds. Recent developments have implicated additional leaders.
Among those now named in the scandal are Nepali Congress Deputy President Dhanraj Gurung, CPN-UML MP and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Rishikesh Pokharel, Maoist Center MP Shakti Bahadur Basnet, RSP leaders DP Aryal and Kabindra Burlakoti, and Nepali Congress MP Shanti Pariyar. Notably, Pariyar’s name has since been removed from the list.
Kumbharaj Gurung, President of Miteri Saving and Credit Co-operative in Lalitpur’s Mahalaxmi, has lodged a complaint against Nepali Congress Vice-President Gurung.
During a parliamentary session, Congress MP Ramkrishna Yadav reiterated the call for an inquiry into the allegations against Lamichhane, Aryal, and Burlakoti. Yadav noted that under Aryal’s vice presidency of the new agricultural cooperative, depositors lost more than four million rupees, with Burlakoti also serving on the cooperative’s board at the time.
Gurung has filed cases against both Dhanraj Gurung and his wife Jyoti with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police and the parliamentary committee chaired by UML MP Thapa, alleging non-repayment of Rs 148.1 million taken from the cooperative.
High-Profile Figures Linked to Massive Cooperative Fraud
Rishikesh Pokharel, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, has been implicated in a multi-crore rupee fraud involving the Umagouri Agricultural Cooperative Society in Dhanpalthan Rural Municipality-4, Morang.
Pokharel’s connection to the fraud emerged after his wife, Anjala Koirala, was involved in the embezzlement of nearly 140 million rupees.
As the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Pokharel’s role in the scandal has raised concerns about his adherence to financial discipline.
Anjala Koirala has been blacklisted for one and a half years due to non-repayment of loans, a severe consequence for financial non-compliance.
In addition to RSP Chairman Lamichhane, Deputy Chairman DP Aryal and Joint General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti have also been accused of misappropriating cooperative savings.
The House of Representatives has questioned these figures, with the then-opposition Congress highlighting their involvement in the embezzlement.
The Nepali Congress party, which had previously called for an investigation into Lamichhane, now claims that two other RSP leaders were also implicated.
During a parliamentary session, Congress MP Ramkrishna Yadav reiterated the call for an inquiry into the allegations against Lamichhane, Aryal, and Burlakoti. Yadav noted that under Aryal’s vice presidency of the new agricultural cooperative, depositors lost more than four million rupees, with Burlakoti also serving on the cooperative’s board at the time.
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