Butwal, April 7
Former Home Minister and president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Rabi Lamichhane, has been transferred to Bhairahawa District Prison today following a court order for pre-trial detention.
Lamichhane, who was arrested from his residence in Kathmandu on Friday night, was flown to Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa on April 5 via a Yeti Airlines flight that landed at 9:12 AM. He was then held in custody at the District Police Office, Rupandehi.
Due to public holidays over the weekend, Lamichhane spent two days in police custody. On Monday, he was presented before the Rupandehi District Court, which issued a detention warrant before sending him to prison, confirmed DSP Suraj Karki, spokesperson for the District Police Office.
The detention follows a ruling by the Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court, which on Friday overturned an earlier Rupandehi District Court decision that had allowed Lamichhane to post bail of Rs 10 million (approx. USD 75,000). The high court ordered his remand in custody in connection with allegations of embezzling funds from the now-defunct Supreme Cooperative in Butwal.
The bench, comprising Justices Ramesh Dhakal and Swikriti Parajuli, found the lower court’s bail decision insufficient in light of the severity and context of the case.
Lamichhane had appealed to the high court after expressing dissatisfaction with the district court’s bail ruling. The high court’s order emphasised that decisions on bail or detention must consider the nature of the offense, the circumstances under which it occurred, and the impact on victims. It concluded that pre-trial detention was warranted in this case.
Lamichhane will remain in Bhairahawa prison until further court proceedings determine the outcome of the case.
