Surydarshan fraud: Kaski Court continues Leela Pachai’s testimony, Rabi’s turn not yet

KATHMANDU: The statement of the accused in the case of embezzlement of savings from Pokhara’s Surydarshan Cooperative continues, with Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane among the five defendants.

The statement of the defendant, Leela Pachai, is still ongoing.

Pachai’s statement began after the testimony of another defendant, Chhabilal Joshi, was completed on Tuesday. Due to the public holiday on Wednesday, the statement was paused and resumed today, as confirmed by Suraj Adhikari, the information officer at the Kaski District Court.

The statements of the defendants are being recorded in the court of District Judge Niti Raj Rai. After Pachai’s statement, another defendant’s testimony will begin as scheduled, according to the information officer.

In the cooperative fraud case, Lamichhane, Joshi, Pachai, Krishna Bahadur Gurung, and Ram Bahadur Khanal were all brought to the court for testimony on Monday.

The court has stated that the debate and order regarding remand will take place only after all defendants have given their statements.

On Sunday, the Kaski District Government Attorney’s Office filed a case against Lamichhane and 44 others for embezzling funds from the cooperative. Lamichhane faces charges not only for cooperative fraud but also for organized crime and money laundering.

The Government Attorney’s Office reported that so far, cases have been filed against 63 individuals in the Surydarshan Cooperative fraud case in the Kaski District Court.

A case for organized crime has been filed against Lamichhane and 19 others, as confirmed by Assistant District Attorney Shantidevi Sharma.

Additionally, charges for money laundering have been filed against Lamichhane, Khanal, Joshi, and Pachai. The Attorney’s Office has also filed cases against other individuals involved in the cooperative fraud, demanding penalties and punishment according to the nature of their offenses.

Lamichhane, who is accused of embezzling the cooperative’s savings, was arrested in Kathmandu on Oct 18. Investigations are ongoing in Kaski and other districts regarding cooperative fraud charges against him.

Lamichhane is alleged to have embezzled the savings during his tenure as the operator and managing director of the cooperative by transferring the funds to Gorkha Media Network.

Former Nepal Police DIG Joshi was arrested on September 6 and is under investigation.

The main planner of the Surydarshan Cooperative fraud, G.B. Rai, along with other accused individuals, remains at large.