Demand for maximum 24 years in prison for Rabi
KATHMANDU: The trial of Rabi Lamichhane, Chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), on charges of cooperative fraud will commence on Monday at the Kaski District Court.
The bench for the case was assigned through a round robin, and preliminary hearings will determine whether Lamichhane and other defendants will be granted bail, remain under general court dates, or be remanded into custody for further investigation.
On Sunday, Lamichhane and several others were charged with cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering. Assistant District Attorney Shantidevi Sharma stated that Lamichhane is accused of embezzling funds belonging to depositors of Pokhara’s Suryadarshan Cooperative.
Accusations and Claims
Lamichhane allegedly misappropriated Rs 27.89 crore through money laundering and Rs 3.37 crore in cooperative fraud. He is currently in custody at the Kaski District Police Office.
Other defendants in the case include Ram Bahadur Khanal, Chhabilal Joshi, and Leela Pachhai, who are accused of laundering Rs 14.31 crore, Rs 74.35 crore, and Rs 24.67 crore, respectively.
In total, charges have been filed against 19 individuals for organized crime and 31 individuals for cooperative fraud, bringing the number of defendants to 63. Lamichhane was arrested in Kathmandu on Oct 18.
Maximum Penalty of 24 Years in Prison
According to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act-2064, Lamichhane has should be sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison. Similarly, a demand has been made for 4 to 6 years in prison for cooperative fraud.
According to Section (124) of the Cooperative Act-2074, there is a provision for 4 to 6 years in prison for a loss of 10 million to 100 million. A demand of 33.7 million has been made against Lamichhane for cooperative fraud.
The government has also charged him with organized crime. According to the Prevention of Organized Crime Act-2070, there is a provision for an additional 50 percent punishment.
According to the charge sheet filed against him, a demand has been made for at least 24 years in prison.
