Lamichhane, three others being presented before court

POKHARA: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane is being presented before the Kaski District Court on Thursday.

Lamichhane, who was arrested in Kathmandu on October 18 to investigate his alleged role in cooperative fund misappropriation, is being brought to court as his 4-day detention period expires today.

Three others, including former DIG of Nepal Police Chhabilal Joshi, Ram Bahadur Khanal, and Lila Pachai, are also being presented before the court. While Joshi is a former director of Gorkha Media Network, the other two are associated with the media company’s chairperson, GB Rai.

Investigations are ongoing against them for cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering.

Lamichhane served as the managing director of Gorkha Media Network before founding the RSP ahead of the 2022 general election.

Police in Kaski, as well as in Kathmandu, Chitwan, Rupandehi, and Parsa, are investigating the transfer of funds from different cooperatives to Gorkha Media Network.

Police have indicated that they will request another extension to continue investigations, intending to keep the accused in custody for a few more days while preparing to file a case with an investigation report in the next court appearance.

Today, they are being presented in court for a detention extension, with preparations underway to file the charge sheet in a subsequent hearing.