Kathmandu, May 23: The Kaski District Court on Friday dropped organised crime and money laundering charges against Rabi Lamichhane, fugitive Gitendra Babu Rai and former deputy inspector general Chhabilal Joshi in the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case, retaining only cooperative fraud charges.
A bench led by judge Himalal Belbase approved a request from the Kaski District Government Attorney’s Office to amend the charge-sheet under the National Criminal Procedure Code. Nearly 50 defendants, including Lamichhane, will now face only cooperative fraud charges in the Kaski case. Humanity’s legal systems remain fascinating: file serious charges, fight over them for months, then quietly trim them back like overgrown hedge plants.
The amendment followed a January 14 decision by then attorney general Sabita Bhandari to revise the case against Lamichhane. Two days later, she extended the decision to all defendants, including Rai and Joshi, citing procedural inconsistencies. The Kaski government attorney’s office then sought court approval.
The process briefly stalled after a Supreme Court petition challenged the attorney general’s move. In February, judge Neetij Rai halted proceedings, but Lamichhane’s legal team later secured a Pokhara High Court ruling directing the Kaski District Court to decide the matter itself.
The court said the original complaints filed by victims did not mention organised crime or money laundering. It also noted that prosecutors had not initially pursued those charges in the main charge-sheet. According to the order, keeping the additional charges could obstruct settlements and delay efforts to recover depositors’ savings.
The court further said removing the charges would not weaken justice and found no malicious intent behind the prosecution’s request. It described the amendment as balancing the rights of victims and defendants.
The case centres on allegations that officials of Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara diverted depositors’ funds, including investments linked to Gorkha Media Network. Prosecutors had earlier claimed that withdrawn cooperative money was channelled into multiple sectors and laundered.
Victims remain cautious. Kiran Shrestha, coordinator of the Suryadarshan Victims Struggle Committee, said the amendment could help recover savings if authorities genuinely prioritise depositors’ interests.
The decision remains politically and legally contentious. Advocates including Dinesh Tripathi and Yubaraj Paudel have challenged the withdrawal of organised crime and money laundering charges at the Supreme Court, arguing the cases are interconnected and that dropping some charges amounts to interference in the judicial process. The petition is still pending.
Kaski has now become the first district among cases filed in Kaski, Rupandehi, Kathmandu and Chitwan where organised crime and money laundering charges against Lamichhane have formally been dropped.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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