Rabi Lamichhane under investigation for fraud and organised crime

By Phadindra Adhikari,Lekhnath, Oct. 20: Former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Rabi Lamichhane, has been held in police custody in Kaski since Saturday morning.

An investigation has been launched against Lamichhane, who also serves as the Chairman of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP), on allegations of cooperative fraud and organised crime.

Lamichhane was arrested on Friday evening in connection with an investigation into the illegal transfer of funds from Suryadarshan Cooperative, located in Ward-4 of Pokhara Metropolitan City, to Gorkha Media Pvt. Ltd. At the time of the alleged transfer, Lamichhane was the Managing Director of Gorkha Media.

The District Court Kaski issued an arrest warrant on Friday against 14 individuals, including Lamichhane, in connection with the allegation. 

A total fund of Rs. 1.35 billion has been embezzled from the savers and shareholders of Suryadarshan Cooperative. So far, arrest warrants have been issued against 34 individuals involved in the case.

Among them, Chabi Lal Joshi and Leela Pachhai, along with Lamichhane, are currently in police custody.

Joshi is a former owner of Gorkha Media, while Pachhai is an employee of GB and Group, a company owned by Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud.

A few months ago, Kaski police conducted a raid on Joshi’s residence, seizing documents related to Suryadarshan Cooperative and Gorkha Media.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Basanta Kumar Sharma from the District Police Office in Kaski said that the police are investigating Suryadarshan Cooperative case from multiple angles.

Lamichhane is scheduled to be presented at the Kaski District Court on Sunday for custody extension, as Saturday is a public holiday.

“Tomorrow, we will present him in court for an extension of custody. The investigation into cooperative fraud and organised crime will proceed,” Sharma informed. 

Earlier, on September 16, the Parliamentary Special Committee formed to investigate the misuse of public funds by various cooperatives has recommended legal action against Lamichhane.

In its report, the committee has urged authorities to prosecute the individuals, including Lamichhane, and the cooperatives which diverted the money unlawfully to the account of Gorkha Media Private Limited in which Lamichhane was serving as Managing Director.

The committee has sought accountability for Rs. 650 million from Lamichhane.

The committee has concluded that the Rs. 650 million injected into Gorkha Media came entirely from cooperatives and that the company’s shares were traded based on forged documents.

The committee has recommended that the government take legal action against all individuals involved in the transfer of funds from cooperatives to Gorkha Media.

The committee has held Gitendra Bahadur Rai, Kumar Ramtel, Lamichhane, and Chhabi Lal Joshi accountable for the fraud as shareholders of Gorkha Media.

It emphasized that those who were signatories on the company’s bank accounts and involved in the financial operations of the company must bear responsibility for fund embezzlement.

The cooperative victims lodged a complaint at the district police office on February 5, naming various companies and individuals as defendants.

GB Rai, Bhupendra Rai, Than Bahadur Budha, Dheeraj Kumar Das, and others suspected to be the key masterminds behind the Suryadarshan scam are currently absconding.

In the case, Shiva Bahadur Gurung, also known as ‘Mahendra Bhote’, along with Bhabishwor Aryal, Kumar Ramtel (the cooperative’s treasurer), former vice-chairman Kailash Kumar Darlami Magar, and board member Pramod Bhattarai are currently in custody pending trial.

The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee has concluded that funds from Suryadarshan Cooperative were illegally invested in Galaxy 4K Television, which is operated by Gorkha Media Pvt. Ltd.

Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperative was established in Pokhara in 2063 B.S.

GB Rai was entrusted with the responsibility of Suryadarshan, which was established through the efforts of Gyan Bahadur Bamjan, starting in 2067 B.S.

Subsequently, Kailash Kumar Darlami from Ramechhap and Dipesh Kumar, son of the former Vice President, appear to have rejoined the cooperative.

It has been found that funds were unlawfully transferred from Suryadarshan to several entities, including GB Group of Companies, Gorkha Group of Companies Ltd., Nature Hubs Pvt. Ltd., Nature Nest Pvt. Ltd., Herbo International Pvt. Ltd., Gorkha Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd., Gupti Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd., Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Ltd., and other organisations.

GB Rai, who partnered with Rameshwor Thapa in the Annapurna Media Network established in 2073 B.S., later collaborated with Lamichhane.

It appears that GB and his brother, a resident of Ward-1 in Sunkoshi Rural Municipality of Okhaldhunga, took up prominent roles in Suryadarshan, with GB becoming the president and actively participating in the cooperative’s operations.

Kailash Kumar Darlami, vice-chairman of the cooperative, also serves as the ward chair of Ward-7 of Likhu Tamakoshi Rural Municipality in Ramechhap.

Kiran Shrestha, chairman of the Suryadarshan Struggle Committee, emphasised the need for a fair investigation into cooperative fraud, regardless of who is involved.

He pointed out that it has been two years since he began protesting and demanding justice for the victims of Suryadarshan, urging the authorities to establish a conducive environment for the return of the savers’ money.

Following the arrest of RSP chairman Lamichhane, the party’s leaders have convened in Pokhara. On Saturday, the RSP held a corner meeting and rally at Chipledhunga.

During the assembly, Vice-President Swarnim Wagle and other party members, including DP Aryal, called for a prompt and impartial investigation into the case. 

In light of the administration’s request, the victims of Suryadarshan cooperative fraud have decided to postpone their planned demonstration.