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Nepal's former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has been flown to Kathmandu on Thursday late evening to record his statement in an ongoing probe on fraud and money laundering.
Lamichhane, also the chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was flown in a regular flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu and taken to the District Police Range, Kathmandu. Dozens of supporters chanting slogans gathered outside the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu as police took him in the vehicle. Police brought the leader of parliament's fourth largest party, the Rastriya Swantra Party, to record a statement of Lamichhane in association with alleged embezzlement of savings at the Swarnalaxmi Cooperative in Kalimati. "He has been brought to Kathmandu through a regular flight of Buddha Air this (Thursday) evening. He is in our custody now. Recording of the statement will start from tomorrow at the District Attorney's Office," SP Nawaraj Adhikari at District Police Range, Kathmandu confirmed ANI over the phone. The Kathmandu District Court had previously issued an arrest warrant against Lamichhane and his associate Chhabilal Joshi in connection to the cooperative's fund mismanagement case. Lamichhane was arrested on October 18 by a Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) team from the RSP's central office in Kathmandu and has already undergone multiple remand extensions, bringing his total detention period to over 40 days. The allegations against Lamichhane stem from his tenure as managing director of the now-defunct Gorkha Media Network. Previous probes, including one by a parliamentary special committee, accused him of diverting cooperative funds into personal accounts, including NPR 30 million. These funds were reportedly siphoned off from multiple cooperatives, leading to the registration of a fraud case with the Kaski district police. Further complicating Lamichhane's legal troubles are allegations tied to his role at Galaxy 4K Television before he entered politics in 2022. The parliamentary probe earlier this year found financial irregularities during his management of the media company, adding weight to the ongoing investigation. Authorities have expanded the investigation to include Lamichhane's alleged misappropriation of funds from cooperatives beyond Kaski. Police have transported him to Butwal for inquiries into the diversion of funds from the Suryadarsan Cooperative. Lamichhane is expected to be taken to Chitwan, as the district court has issued an arrest warrant against him for his alleged involvement in embezzling savings in Sahara Cooperative. (ANI)
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