RSP chairman returned to Pokhara as cooperative fraud probe continues

Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and former home minister, was brought back to Pokhara on Friday as part of the ongoing fraud investigation into cooperatives.

Lamichhane, who is in Kaski police custody, was transferred to Rupandehi on November 12 to record his statement. He was flown back to Pokhara, Kaski police station spokesperson Basanta Kumar Sharma said. Police in Kaski and Rupandehi districts have been investigating multiple fraud charges filed against RSP chief Lamichhane.

The investigation focuses on allegations of massive embezzlement by the Kaski-based Supreme Cooperative involving Rs780 million in member deposits. Lamichhane is accused of embezzling Rs19.6 million in personal loans from the cooperative, which were allegedly diverted to Gorkha Media Network Pvt Ltd, a company he co-founded.

Lamichhane was taken to Bhairahawa for questioning on Tuesday, where police were working to expedite the recording of his statement. Several people are involved in the case, including Supreme Cooperative manager Sagar KC and former chairman GB Rai, while more than 25 suspects are still at large.

Lamichhane’s political career, which began in 2022 after leaving his role as managing director of Galaxy 4K Television, now faces major challenges as investigations progress.

Police have stepped up investigations following the recommendations of the parliamentary special investigative panel set up to probe the issues of crisis-ridden cooperatives, including the allegations of cooperative fraud against Lamichhane.