KATHMANDU: The bail hearing against former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane commenced on Friday at the Rupandehi District Court.
Lamichhane, who is also the chai of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, faces allegations of cooperative fraud linked to the Supreme Cooperative.
On Thursday, the government lawyer presented their arguments in the case, while the cooperative victim’s lawyers have yet to complete their submissions. The hearing resumed after Lamichhane appeared in court following an earlier appearance on Wednesday, when he was released on bail.
The Rupandehi District Court Judge, Pralhad Kumar Yogi, had granted Lamichhane conditional release under the custody of his wife, Nikita Poudel, and a legal practitioner, requiring his appearance on Thursday. However, delays meant the hearing could not be concluded that day.
The fraud case involves claims of embezzlement of approximately Rs 860 million from 1,831 savers of the Supreme Cooperative. Lamichhane was implicated in a supplementary complaint after investigations revealed that Rs 142.9 million had been transferred from the cooperative to Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Ltd., a company linked to him, and Rs 20 million had been loaned directly to Lamichhane.
The case names 28 individuals as defendants. Lamichhane has previously posted bail amounts of Rs 6.5 million in Kaski and Rs 6 million in Kathmandu in connection to related allegations in other cooperatives.
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