KATHMANDU: The crisis surrounding Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane has intensified as allegations of embezzlement and fraud in cooperative savings continue to mount.
On Wednesday, victims of the Sahara Chitwan Multipurpose Cooperative lodged a formal complaint against Lamichhane and nine others in Chitwan, his home district.
Lamichhane, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, has been in police custody in Kaski since October 19 in connection with a separate cooperative fraud case.
According to police, the supplementary complaint was filed by Shalikram Dawadi, Chair of the Cooperative Victims Struggle Committee.
Chitwan Police Chief, SP Gautam Mishra, confirmed receipt of the complaint and said it is under review.
A parliamentary probe committee has already uncovered evidence that 108 million rupees was funneled illegally into Gorkha Media Network from the Sahara Cooperative, which operates in Lamichhane’s electoral constituency.
Sahara Cooperative is chaired by Gitendra Babu Rai (GB), a close associate of Lamichhane.
Former DIG of Nepal Police and Gorkha Media investor Chhabilal Joshi has also been implicated in the case.
Victims of the Sahara Cooperative had previously filed complaints with Chitwan Police.
The supplementary complaint filed on Wednesday expands the allegations to include Lamichhane and nine others.
Lamichhane and Joshi are also under investigation for alleged embezzlement linked to several other cooperatives, including Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara, Supreme Cooperative in Butwal, Sanopaila Cooperative in Parsa, and Swarnalakshmi Cooperative in Kalimati, Kathmandu.
In the Swarnalakshmi Cooperative fraud case, the Kathmandu District Court has already issued arrest warrants against both Lamichhane and Joshi.
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