Lamichhane sent to Rupandehi District Prison

LUMBINI:  Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has been sent to jail.

According to DSP Suraj Karki, the spokesperson for the District Police Office, Rupandehi, Lamichhane was first presented before the Rupandehi District Court before being transferred to the district prison.

The Rupandehi District Court had released Lamichhane on bail of Rs 1o million on January 26, while another accused, Chhabilal Joshi, had been sent to judicial custody on February 11, in connection with the Supreme Cooperative fraud and organized crime case. However, the Office of the District Government Attorney challenged the district court’s order at the high court, arguing that both suspects in the same case should receive equal treatment, and that Lamichhane should also be held in custody.

The Butwal Bench of Tulsipur High Court, on Friday, overturned the Rupandehi District Court’s verdict and ordered authorities to place Lamichhane in judicial custody. Acting on the court’s order, police arrested Lamichhane in Kathmandu on the same night and brought him to Bhairahawa. He was presented before the court at around 11:30 am on Monday, according to SP Ranjit Singh Rathore, the chief of Rupandehi District Police.

Before entering politics in 2022 by forming RSP, Lamichhane was a well-known television personality and served as the managing director of Galaxy Television, operated by Gorkha Media Network. He is accused of misusing illegally transferred savings from various cooperatives to Gorkha Media Network during his tenure as managing director.

Lamichhane has also been accused of embezzling funds from Swarna Laxmi Cooperative (Kathmandu), Suryadarshan Cooperative (Kaski), Sano Paila Cooperative (Birgunj) and Sahara Cooperative (Chitwan).