I am not involved in cooperative fraud, Lamichhane reiterates

KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Rabi Lamichhane, has reiterated that he was not involved in the cooperative fraud in any way.

Speaking in the meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Lamichhane said although some people have linked his name to the cooperative fraud, available evidence does not prove the allegations. “They are saying that I am involved in the fraud. But I have neither signed any document nor put my fingerprints. I have not received any letter from any authorities,” Lamichhane claimed. “I have not been made a defendant in a case filed in the court.”

Inspector General of Nepal Police, Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, also stated that although a case has been filed with the police regarding cooperative fraud, the Home Minister hasn’t been named. “There is no concrete evidence to show the Home Minister’s involvement in the fraud,” he claimed.

Earlier, Nepali Congress lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu asked the Home Minister to clarify as his name has been linked to the cooperative fraud. “Rabi Lamichhane is linked to the cooperative fraud. This looks like the name of our home minister. If it is indeed you, it warrants an unbiased inquiry,” Badu said. “It would be better if you leave the Home Ministry for some time if we are to make the inquiry credible.”