The District Court Rupandehi has rejected the plea of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane seeking release from custody in the Supreme Cooperative fraud case. Judge Narayan Prasad Sapkota’s bench dismissed the petition despite Lamichhane submitting a bank guarantee of NPR 27,484,000.
Lamichhane was ordered to be remanded in custody by the Butwal bench of the High Court Tulsipur on Chaitra 22, 2081 BS, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court. He is currently serving time at Bhairahawa Prison.
Initially, the Rupandehi District Court had granted him bail in the cooperative savings embezzlement case. However, due to additional charges including cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering, the High Court ordered his detention.
Investigations by both the parliamentary committee and Nepal Police revealed that under Lamichhane’s instigation, Gitendra Babu “GB” Rai illegally invested millions from more than five cooperative institutions into Galaxy Television, part of Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Ltd. Lamichhane is considered the main planner behind the scandal, and legal proceedings are ongoing.
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