Himal Press 
POKHARA: Former Home Minister and suspended President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rabi Lamichhane, has denied charges filed against him in a case involving cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering.
Lamichhane made his denial before District Judge Nitij Rai at the Kaski District Court on Thursday.
The court began recording statements from Lamichhane and four other defendants on Monday. On the fourth day of hearings, Lamichhane reiterated his denial, consistent with earlier statements provided to government attorneys in Kaski and other districts. According to his lawyer, Lamichhane has maintained that he had no involvement in cooperative fraud or related activities.
The recording of his statement, however, could not be completed on Thursday and will resume on Friday. Court registrar Khyam Narayan Lamichhane stated that once Lamichhane’s statement is finalized, statements from other defendants, including Ram Bahadur Khanal and Krishna Bahadur Gurung, will be recorded.
Two defendants — former Gorkha Media Network director and ex-DIG Chhabilal Joshi, along with Lila Pachhai from Musikot Municipality-4 in Gulmi — have already recorded their statements. After the statements of all the defendants are recorded, the court will proceed with detention hearings. These hearings will determine whether the accused will be detained, released on bail, or granted a general release date.
The case concerning the misappropriation of funds from the Surya Darshan Cooperative has been under consideration at the Kaski District Court since last year. Initially, on October 5 last year, charges were filed against 19 individuals, including the cooperative’s founder-chairman GB Rai. Based on a recent police investigation, the Kaski District Government Attorney’s Office filed a supplementary charge sheet last Friday and Sunday, adding 44 more defendants, including Lamichhane, bringing the total to 63 accused.
