INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 17After the parliamentary committee submitted its investigation report on cooperative fund
embezzlement, a new debate has erupted over whether Lamichhane's guilt.
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The former Deputy Prime
Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is involved in the misappropriation of cooperative funds, according to the report of the special
parliamentary inquiry committee
However, after Lamichhane supporters claimed the report had given Lamichhane a clean cheat.Lamichhane and his party leaders claim that he
was 'proven innocent' after the committee failed to confirm his involvement in the misappropriation of cooperative funds, while others argue
that the committee 'found him guilty and recommended action.'
Rastriya Swatantra Party's first national meeting began on
Tuesday in the capital, with the RSP and other party members providing a positive interpretation of the parliamentary committee report.While
speaking at the event, Lamichhane and RSP leaders repeated the statement that Lamichhane was "found innocent" by the parliamentary
committee.Lamichhane also reiterated the same that he is innocent
He stated that he was not involved in the cooperative fraud case
"Cooperative Thug" is nearly over
You must have anticipated what the proof would be
We do not have much to say," he said
"I did not make a mistake, friends; rest assured."A special committee led by legislator Surya Thapa was formed to investigate the
misappropriation of cooperative savings
Thapa presented the committee's report to the House of Representatives on Monday.According to the report, action has been recommended
against those directly and indirectly involved in the embezzlement of savings from 40 cooperatives across Nepal.Speaker Devraj Ghimire
directed on Monday that the report be sent to the government for 'necessary action.' The full text of the report has not yet been made
public, but details of the suggestions and recommendations in paragraph 18 have been made available.In that paragraph of the report, some
issues regarding Lamichhane are raised, and it is recommended that he be dealt with in accordance with the law.According to the committee's
report, out of the seven cooperatives in which Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, who is currently absconding, is involved, Gorkha Media, the operator
of Galaxy Television, in which Rabi Lamichhane is also involved, has illegally brought in funds from five of the cooperatives."The company's
directors or shareholders bear primary responsibility in such an organisation
The characters in the roles and responsibilities of shareholders, board members, and managing directors should not ignore their
responsibility and liability for the funds received by the company," reads the report."After the money of the cooperative's savers was
irregularly transferred to Gorkha Media's account, it was discovered that they were involved in the process of spending the money and making
it available to the company while the directors GB Rai and member Kumar Ramtel, as well as the then-managing director Rabi Lamichhane and
director Chabilal Joshi, were partners in the company
It has been recommended to the government to take action in accordance with the prevailing law because it is liable for the
amount."Meanwhile, senior advocate and former lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari stated that the parliamentary probe committee had politically
indicated RSP chair Lamichhane, but this would only serve as reference material for concerned government agencies to investigate Lamichhane
for his alleged role in the misappropriation of cooperative funds."Now the concerned government agencies will have to independently
investigate the people named in the report and prosecute them in accordance with the law," he stated.However, RSP leaders interpreted the
probe committee's report differently
While leaving the House meeting on Monday, RSP chair Lamichhane and vice chair Swarnim Wagle claimed that the committee had acquitted
Lamichhane of charges of embezzling cooperative funds.They said they welcomed the committee's report and noted that Shishir Khanal, the RSP
member on the committee, did not even write a note of dissent "because the report had acquitted the party chairman." RSP leaders also
claimed that other parties' accusations were proven false.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
