KATHMANDU, Jan 27: Three courts have granted bail to Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane in separate cooperative fraud cases. The Kaski District Court ordered his release in the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case in Pokhara, the Kathmandu District Court in the Swarnalakshmi Cooperative fraud case in Kalimati, and the Rupandehi District Court in the Supreme Cooperative fraud case in Butwal.
Lamichhane was first granted bail of Rs 6.5 million in the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case. On January 9, Judge Nitij Rai of the Kaski District Court issued the bail order, citing evidence that cooperative funds had been deposited into Lamichhane’s account multiple times through checks and later withdrawn. Following the order, Lamichhane was released after presenting a bank guarantee provided by Prabhu Bank.
Although it was expected that Lamichhane would be re-arrested immediately after his release from Pokhara, he was instead allowed to appear before the Kathmandu District Court voluntarily. Three days later, he presented himself before the court.
Prabhu Bank inks agreement to acquire Century Commercial Bank
On January 15, the Kathmandu District Court also granted Lamichhane bail of Rs 6 million. A single bench of Judge Madhav Prasad Adhikari issued the order, and Prabhu Bank once again provided the necessary guarantee for the amount.
After securing his release in Kathmandu, Lamichhane appeared at the Rupandehi District Court in connection with the Butwal-based Supreme Cooperative fraud case. On Sunday, Judge Prahlad Kumar Yogi ordered his release on a bail of Rs 10 million. The court noted that while conclusive evidence of guilt was lacking, the available evidence raised sufficient suspicion to warrant further investigation.
As per Section 74 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2074 BS, Lamichhane was required to pay a cash bail, property bail, or an unconditional bank guarantee of Rs 10 million to avoid custody during his trial. Prabhu Bank provided the guarantee for this amount as well, enabling his release.
Lamichhane has posted a total bail amount of Rs 22.5 million in the cases filed in Kaski, Kathmandu, and Rupandehi, with Prabhu Bank serving as the guarantor in all three cases.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane has filed a petition with the Pokhara High Court seeking to nullify the Rs 6.5 million bail set by the Kaski District Court. He has denied involvement in the alleged embezzlement of funds from Pokhara’s Surya Darshan Cooperative, claiming he is the target of a conspiracy aimed at damaging his personal reputation.
