Nepal: Court extends remand for former minister Rabi Lamichhane in fraud, money laundering probe

Kathmandu [Nepal], November 25 : Nepal's Former home minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairperson Rabi Lamichhane has been granted a 15-day extension to the remand by the Kaski District Court as investigations into allegations of cooperative fraud, organised crime, and money laundering continue.
Judge Himalal Belbase issued the decision on Sunday, applying the extension to Lamichhane and three co-accused, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The three others include former Deputy Inspector General of Police Chhabilal Joshi, Leela Pachhai, and Ram Bahadur Khanal, all of whom are implicated in the same investigation.
Lamichhane, who was arrested on October 18 by a Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) team from the RSP's central office in Kathmandu, has already undergone multiple remand extensions, bringing his total detention period to over 40 days.
The allegations against Lamichhane stem from his tenure as managing director of the now-defunct Gorkha Media Network. Previous probes, including one by a parliamentary special committee, accused him of diverting cooperative funds into personal accounts, including NPR 30 million.
These funds were reportedly siphoned off from multiple cooperatives, leading to the registration of a fraud case with the Kaski district police, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Further complicating Lamichhane's legal troubles are allegations tied to his role at Galaxy 4K Television before he entered politics in 2022. The parliamentary probe earlier this year found financial irregularities during his management of the media company, adding weight to the ongoing investigation.
On Sunday, government attorneys and victim representatives argued for extending Lamichhane's remand, stating that document analysis and evidence collection remained incomplete. Meanwhile, Lamichhane's legal team contended the accusations lacked substantial proof, strongly opposing the extension.
Authorities have expanded the investigation to include Lamichhane's alleged misappropriation of funds from cooperatives beyond Kaski. Police have transported him to Butwal for inquiries into the diversion of funds from the Suryadarsan Cooperative, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Additional arrest warrants have been issued against Lamichhane in Kathmandu and Chitwan for alleged financial misconduct involving the Swarnalaxmi Cooperative and Sahara Cooperative, respectively.
Lamichhane's continued detention underscores the gravity of the charges and the ongoing efforts by authorities to unravel the full extent of his alleged financial misconduct.