KATHMANDU, Jan 14: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has been cleared of charges related to organized crime and money laundering.
The Office of the Attorney General has authorised government attorneys to withdraw these cases, which were pending in multiple district courts including Kaski, Rupandehi, Kathmandu and Parsa. Following the decision, Lamichhane will face legal proceedings only for cooperative fraud.
Kaski Court drops money laundering, organized crime charges aga...
The move is based primarily on the findings of a special parliamentary committee that investigated the misuse of savings in cooperative institutions. While the report noted Lamichhane’s involvement in the expenditure of funds received by Gorkha Media Network, it found no evidence of his direct participation in systematically embezzling money from cooperatives.
Officials said continuing complex organized crime and money laundering cases would have delayed the restitution process for cooperative victims. Limiting the case to cooperative fraud, they added, provides a legal pathway for settlements between victims and perpetrators, allowing savers to recover their money more quickly.
The decision also took into account the Rupandehi Supreme Cooperative case, where the complainant stated in court that they had not filed the complaint specifically against Lamichhane.
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