KATHMANDU: The ruling party and the main opposition have agreed to form a seven-member parliamentary committee to investigate the cooperative fraud case.

A meeting of the top leadership held at Baluwatar, the official residence of the Prime Minister, on Monday night, reached an agreement to establish this committee.

A Nepali Congress leader who participated in the meeting told Khabarhub, “It has been agreed to form a 7-member committee.”

The committee will include two members each from the main opposition Nepali Congress and the ruling partner CPN-UML, and one member each from the ruling Maoist Center, the ruling partner Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and the opposition Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

According to the leader, the parties have also agreed on a three-month period for the committee to complete its investigation.

It was also agreed that the investigation would proceed without mentioning the name of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, who is implicated in the cooperative fraud case.

Previously, the Nepali Congress had insisted that the mandate of the parliamentary committee should explicitly mention his name.

Padam Giri, the task force coordinator and Law Mminister, confirmed that an agreement was reached not to include Home Minister Lamichhane’s name in the committee’s mandate.

He also stated that anyone found guilty during the investigation will be punished.