The District Government Attorney’s Office filed a supplementary charge sheet at the Chitwan District Court on Tuesday (February 4) in connection with the Sahara Chitwan Cooperative fraud case.
The case now names Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Ravi Lamichhane and 18 others as defendants. Previously, 14 individuals were charged, bringing the total number of accused to 32.
According to District Attorney Shanti Prasad Luitel, “Initially, we filed cases against 14 people. Now, with 18 new defendants, the total has reached 32.”
Allegations against Lamichhane
The charge sheet states that funds were transferred from Sahara Chitwan Cooperative to Gorkha Media Network Pvt Ltd’s accounts, and Lamichhane was directly involved in misusing these funds.
Investigations revealed that before formally becoming a shareholder in Gorkha Media on April 7, 2021, Lamichhane had already signed company documents on October 18, 2020. His signature was used to operate bank accounts, proving his administrative and legal responsibility.
Rs 480 million spent via 814 checks
Authorities found that Rs 35 million was transferred from Sahara Chitwan Cooperative to Gorkha Media’s accounts at Siddhartha Bank and Global IME Bank.
Additionally, forensic analysis showed that Lamichhane personally authorised the spending of over Rs 480 million from Gorkha Media’s accounts through 814 checks. Another Rs 6 million was spent with joint signatures of Lamichhane and Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai.
Lamichhane’s financial transactions
Beyond his salary, Lamichhane reportedly withdrew an additional Rs 2.7 million from Gorkha Media. While he later returned Rs 1.3 million, he still retained Rs 1.4 million in excess payments.
Investigators also found that Lamichhane authorised payments of Rs 5.9 million to his wife, Nikita Poudel, and Rs 8.1 million to Gopikrishna Movies through checks. Even after leaving the company, he allegedly continued issuing checks.
Hearing on Sahara Chitwan Cooperative scam case
On Wednesday, Lamichhane has been sent to judicial custody after his remand hearing remained incomplete at the Chitwan District Court. The court proceedings, including statements and arguments, began earlier in the day but could not be concluded.
As a result, the court ordered Lamichhane to remain in judicial custody under police supervision until Thursday at 10 am, when the hearing will resume.
The decision was issued by Judge Dayaram Dhakal, who instructed police to keep Lamichhane in custody while both the plaintiff and defense lawyers continue their arguments tomorrow. Lamichhane is among 15 individuals accused in the Sahara Chitwan Cooperative fraud case. The court recorded statements from the accused on Wednesday, followed by the remand hearing.
On Wednesday, District Attorney Rabi Neupane, along with Assistant Attorneys Amrit Subedi and Buddhabahadur Thapa, completed their arguments on behalf of the prosecution. Meanwhile, on behalf of the cooperative fraud victims, only advocate Ramesh Kafle was able to present his arguments before the session ended. The remaining defense arguments will resume on Thursday when the court reopens.
Legal proceedings and future actions
Lamichhane was previously arrested on November 17 from his party office in Baneshwor and later released on bail:
- Rs 6.5 million from Kaski District Court
- Rs 6 million from Kathmandu District Court
- Rs 10 million from Rupandehi District Court
With the case now registered in Chitwan, Lamichhane must appear in court for pretrial hearings to determine whether he will be released on bail, placed under judicial custody, or remanded for trial.
Additionally, he is facing another cooperative fraud case in Parsa, which is expected to be filed soon.
