Officiating Registrar Lamichhane (second from right) informing the media about supplementary charges.
KATHMANDU: Supplementary charges have been filed against 19 defendants, including the founder chairperson of Suryadarshan Cooperative, GB Rai, at the Kaski District Court on Friday. The Kaski District Government Attorney’s Office registered the supplementary charges with added claims for financial recovery.
According to the Officiating Registrar of the Kaski District Court, Khyama Narayan Lamichhane, an initial claim of Rs 1.11 billion was filed against the defendants on October 4. This amount has now been revised and increased to Rs 1.51 billion under Section 6 of the Cooperative Act.
Of the 19 defendants, 16 are also charged under Section 6 of the Organised Crime Act, alongside the Cooperative Act.
In GB Rai’s case, supplementary charges include additional claims under the Cooperative Act, the Organised Crime Act, and allegations of money laundering and violations of Nepal Rastra Bank regulations.
The Officiating Registrar told the media that former Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has not been named a defendant in the supplementary charges.
The police investigation report submitted to the District Government Attorney’s Office has recommended charges of cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering against Rabi Lamichhane and former DIG Chhabilal Joshi, among others. The report suggests recovering Rs 1.51 billion from 51 defendants.
The District Police Office, Kaski conducted an investigation into the case for nearly three months and submitted its report to the District Government Attorney’s Office on December 16.
The defendants have been accused of illegally transferring deposits from the cooperative to different organizations including Gorkha Media Network.
