Kaski Court Grants Bail to Rabi Lamichhane in Embezzlement Case

The Kaski District Court has ordered the release of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane on bail in connection with the cooperative savings embezzlement case. Lamichhane, who was arrested on October 19 for allegedly embezzling cooperative funds, was granted bail of 6.5 million rupees after three months of investigation and detention hearings.

Judge Nitij Rai of the Kaski District Court issued the ruling on Thursday, but Lamichhane’s release will not be immediate. The police are preparing to transfer him to Kathmandu, where arrest warrants have been issued against him in several districts, including Kathmandu, Chitwan, Rupandehi, and Parsa, in connection with the Swarnalakshmi Cooperative fraud case.

The Kathmandu District Court has already begun proceedings in this case, and local police have requested Lamichhane’s handover once the process in Kaski is concluded. They also requested the transfer of other individuals in custody related to the case, including Chhabilal Banjade and Ram Bahadur Khanal, for trial in respective districts.

Other people who are granted bail as per the court’s order include Chhabilal Joshi (Rs. 8.8 million), Leela Pachhai (Rs. 3.7 million), Mina Gurung (Rs. 500,000), Ram Bahadur Khanal (Rs. 1.5 million), Arati Guring (Rs. 500,000), and Krishna Bahadur Gurung (Rs. 100,000), according to court’s registrar, Rajan Khanal.

The order followed a 10-day hearing on whether to extend the remand for further investigation. On December 22-last month- the District Attorney Office in Kaski had filed charge sheets against 44 people, including Lamichhane, the former Home Minister, in connection with the misappropriation of cooperative funds. To date, 63 individuals are facing charges in the case.

Lamichhane’s case has drawn significant attention, and authorities are coordinating across multiple jurisdictions for further legal actions. Despite being granted bail in Kaski, Lamichhane’s legal troubles are far from over, as the investigation continues in other districts.