KATHMANDU: The statements of all defendants, including Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane, in the cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering case were concluded on Tuesday.
According to Kaski High Court’s information officer Rajan Khanal, the closing arguments commenced in the bench of Kaski District Court Judge Nitij Rai immediately after the completion of the statements.
The statement of the final defendant, Aarti Gurung, was recorded on Tuesday.
“The closing arguments have started and are expected to last two to four days due to the large number of defendants,” Khanal said.
The cooperative fraud case involves allegations against 44 individuals, including Lamichhane and former Gorkha Media Vice Chair and former DIG Chhabilal Joshi, for offenses related to cooperative fraud and money laundering.
Police investigations revealed that the group allegedly embezzled Rs 1.51 billion rupees from Suryadarshan Cooperative. Of this amount, Rs 54.8 million rupees were reportedly transferred to Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Ltd. and misappropriated.
RSP Chair Lamichhane, who was arrested on October 18, denied any involvement in the charges during his two-day statement. Following his statement, other accused individuals, including Joshi, Leela Pachhai, and Aarti Gurung, were also questioned.
The government prosecutor and defense lawyers began their arguments on Tuesday after the statements concluded.
The court’s decision on whether to release the accused on bail or proceed to trial is awaited.
The government prosecutor’s office has filed charges of cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering against Lamichhane and others. A supplementary charge sheet was also filed last Friday, bringing additional accusations against 19 individuals, including Gorkha Media Chairperson GB Rai.
The police had recommended charges against 65 individuals, but the government attorney’s office reduced the number to 44. Five individuals are being charged solely for the purpose of property confiscation.
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