Police to present Lamichhane before court on Sunday to initiate investigation on organized crime
KATHMANDU, Oct 19: The police arrested Chairman of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Rabi Lamichhane, who has been implicated in the embezzlement of funds from at least five cooperatives, from his party office on Friday evening. He is a former deputy prime minister and home minister.
His supporters and party workers chanted slogans against Prime Minister K P Oli as he was being rounded up from the RSP’s central office at Banasthali, Kathmandu. According to police sources, Lamichhane will be investigated in an organized crime case.
The arrest of Lamichhane followed an arrest warrant issued by Kaski District Court earlier on Friday for his alleged involvement in cooperative scams. The warrant was issued by Judge Krishna Jung Shah, implicating Lamichhane in the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case in Pokhara. The Parliamentary investigation special committee on misuse of co-operatives savings had earlier recommended the government to initiate legal action against Lamichhane.
RSP Chairman Lamichhane taken to Pokhara for investigation
Following this report, police had requested an arrest warrant against Lamichhane, which the Kaski District Court finally granted on Friday.
Lamichhane’s former business partner and one of the promoters of Galaxy 4K Television Chhabilal Joshi was arrested some time ago in connection with the same case. Police sources said recent statements from Joshi, a former Deputy Inspector General of Police, demanding Lamichhane’s arrest had led to the issuance of the warrant against the former home minister.
Following the action of the Kaski District Court, Lamichhane had condemned the arrest warrant with an angry Facebook post against the government. Stating that the government is dead and questioning why other politicians allegedly involved in corruption have not been apprehended, Lamichhane posted a status on Facebook claiming that the investigations into his involvement in the cooperative scam will prove him to be innocent.
Hinting that the arrest warrant was issued to divert the attention of the general public from the issue of Bhatbhateni, Lamichhane also argued that the current government was formed with the political intention of making him the scapegoat for all their alleged involvement in illegal activities.
“I rejected the offer of the position of prime minister in order to arrest the corrupt, while you [PM Oli] accepted the same offer overnight to save the corrupt individuals, with a middleman as witness,” he wrote on Facebook, “That night, you made a pact to sacrifice me, and I am fully aware of this.”
He also promised to fully support the legal process in the investigation, adding that he will neither run away nor back down from his stance. Top leaders from the RSP have echoed Lamichhane’s acceptance of the legal proceedings in the investigation of the case.
Addressing the leaders and cadres of the party assembled at the central office, acting spokesperson of the RSP Manish Jha said that the party will not retaliate against the arrest of party president Lamichhane. “We respect the rule of law,” he said, “We will not create any inconvenience in the process of arrest, we will not retaliate.” He also urged the crowd assembled at the party office in the run-up to Lamichhane’s arrest to not resist the police action physically.
Lawmaker Jha informed a group of journalists assembled at the party’s central office that Lamichhane will be taken to Pokhara overnight via road. He will likely be presented before the Kaski district court on Sunday.
