KATHMANDU, Oct 18: The Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has condemned the arrest warrant issued against him for his alleged involvement in a cooperative scam.
Stating that the government is dead and questioning why other politicians allegedly involved in corruption have not been apprehended, Lamichhane posted an angry status on Facebook claiming that the investigations into his involvement in the cooperative scam will prove him to be innocent.
Here’s an English translation of Lamichhane’s Facebook status:
The government is dead, we are mourning.
Rabi Lamichhane arrested on charge of embezzling cooperatives’...
A watch worth millions gifted by smugglers in your hand, while handcuffs in mine? You donne glasses and shoes that cost a fortune because you serve the middlemen, but I should be the scapegoat?
You openly accept land worth millions from certified corrupt individuals, yet I have to face charges of fraud?
Even with the full power of the state behind your investigation, you will find nothing against me. Must I sacrifice myself to protect the political interests of one of your leaders and sustain your two-thirds majority government? You and your leaders are embezzling Rs 87 billion from the cooperative, and should I be labeled a cooperative fraud?
This will allow the government to divert the attention of the general public from the case regarding Bhatbhateni. Even the young leader who says he has evidence felt no need to flee. However, I will never run away, nor will I back down. Mr Oli, I rejected the offer of the position of prime minister in order to arrest the corrupt, while you accepted the same offer overnight to save the corrupt individuals, with a middleman as witness. That night, you made a pact to sacrifice me, and I am fully aware of this. Your cabinet serves as an evidence to this. Your party leaders and cadres have been proven to be cooperative fraudsters—some are in jail, while others are on the lam. You are invested in protecting them. The victims will not receive justice from you. Therefore, we will now amplify the voices of the cooperative victims.
I am glad that a countdown of your days in power has begun, and I promise to fully support the law in this investigation. This country will soon see that your wrong intention of destroying the new generation one by one will lead you to the brink. You started this, and we will bring it to an end—the Nepali people will take action soon.
The government is dead. The general public is mourning. But I have hope in the judiciary and confidence in the public who trust justice. Dear friends of the RSP family, please hold your heads high. Your chairman has not deceived anyone.
