BUTWAL: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane has filed a petition at the Butwal bench of the High Court Dang, challenging a Rupandehi District Court order that denied him release on bank guarantee.
On August 11, the Rupandehi District Court, presided over by Judge Narayan Prasad Sapkota, rejected Lamichhane’s request to be released on a bank guarantee despite him submitting documents worth Rs 27.48 million, his share of the Rs 109.9 million fraud case linked to Supreme Cooperative.
According to court information officer Ram Bahadur Kunwar, Lamichhane’s petition was registered on Monday. “Since Tuesday is a public holiday, the hearing will likely take place on Wednesday,” Kunwar told Khabarhub.
Lamichhane, currently in custody at Nakkhu Jail, faces charges of cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering in the multi-million-rupee scam. He has been accused of being a key planner in the embezzlement of savings from multiple cooperative institutions, with much of the money allegedly funneled into Gorkha Media Network, the operator of Galaxy Television.
Earlier, Rupandehi District Court had ordered his release on bail, but the Butwal bench of the High Court Dang overturned that decision, sending him to judicial custody for trial. The Supreme Court also upheld that order, confirming his pre-trial detention.
The case stems from allegations that Lamichhane, along with others including Gitendra Babu “GB” Rai, diverted cooperative savings from several institutions into private ventures. Both a parliamentary committee and Nepal Police investigations have linked Lamichhane to the illegal investment.
Lamichhane maintains that he has fulfilled his obligation by submitting a bank guarantee equivalent to his share of the liability, but lower courts so far have insisted he remain in custody pending trial.
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