GB Rai’s passport cannot be revoked, says Department of Passport

KATHMANDU: The Department of Passport has said that the passport of Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, who allegedly embezzled funds from cooperative savers and fled, cannot be revoked.

Rai, the chairperson of Gorkha Media Network, is suspected to be in Malaysia after allegedly misappropriating funds from cooperatives like Swaranalaxmi in Kathmandu, Suryaodarshan in Pokhara, and Supreme in Rupandehi.

District Police Office, Kaski, had written to the department to revoke Rai’s passport in an attempt to bring him back to Nepal. However, the department has told Kaski police that there is no legal basis to revoke his passport.

Ramesh Kumar Charmakar, the director and spokesperson for the Department of Passports, said that they conculeted with legal experts and arrived at a conclusion that Rai’s passport cannot be revoked in the current circumstances. “As per the Passport Act, 2019, a passport cannot be revoked except on court orders. So Rai’s passport cannot be revoked in the current situation,” he added.

Rai’s former business partner Rabi Lamichhane is currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Minister. The main opposition, Nepali Congress, has been obstructing parliament meetings demanding parliamentry probe into Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in misappropriation of cooperative deposits.