Former Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane was sent to Bhairahawa District Prison in Rupandehi on Monday. He is currently being held alone in Block 4 of the prison.
According to prison administrator Suresh Bhandari, Lamichhane made no complaints or demands during the transfer and expressed respect for the court’s order. He was arrested late Friday night from his residence in Kathmandu and held overnight at the Kathmandu District Police Office. The following morning, on April 5, he was flown to Gautam Buddha Airport and taken into custody by the Rupandehi District Police.
Due to the public holiday, Lamichhane spent two days in police custody before appearing in Rupandehi District Court on Monday. The court issued a remand order, sending him to jail to await trial. Earlier, on January 26, the Rupandehi District Court had released him on bail of Rs 10 million in connection with the Supreme Cooperative fraud case.
Both the government prosecutor and Lamichhane had challenged that decision at the Butwal High Court— the former seeking to revoke the bail and place him in judicial custody, and the latter requesting release on a general date instead of posting bail. A joint bench of Judges Ramesh Dhakal and Swikriti Parajuli annulled the earlier bail decision and ordered Lamichhane to be remanded in custody, closing the case at the high court level.
However, Lamichhane still faces other pending cases in various districts.
Kaski: Case under review at Pokhara High Court
Lamichhane was arrested from the RSP party office in Kathmandu on October 18, 2024 in connection with the Surya Darshan Cooperative fraud case. Following a three-month investigation, charges of money laundering, organised crime, and cooperative fraud were filed at the Kaski District Court.
On January 9, Judge Nitij Rai ordered his release on Rs 2.5 million bail. Both Lamichhane and the government appealed the decision at the Pokhara High Court.
On January 21, 2024 Judge Rajkumar Khatiwada demanded justification for the bail order. Lamichhane followed up with a petition on January 28. On January 27, the bench of Judge Milan Kumar Rai called for a clarification report. Since then, no further hearings have been scheduled and the case remains pending.
Kathmandu: Case at Patan High Court still pending
In a separate case involving the Swarnalaxmi Cooperative, the Kathmandu District Court on January 15 released Lamichhane on Rs 6 million bail. This decision was appealed by the Office of the Government Attorney at the Patan High Court on February 10, seeking to remand him in custody.
Lamichhane filed a counter-petition on March 21, demanding release without bail. The case was heard for the first time on March 24 by Judge Lekhnath Poudel, who ordered both petitions to be reviewed together. On March 26, Judge Khadananda Tiwari requested additional documentation. No further hearings have taken place since.
Chitwan: Bail granted, High Court petition prepared
In the Sahara Chitwan Cooperative fraud case, the Chitwan District Court released Lamichhane on Rs 5.4 million bail on February 6. His legal team had already begun preparing an appeal at the high court, seeking release without bail. However, the Butwal High Court’s order to remand him in custody in the Rupandehi case has taken precedence.
RSP leaders have begun criticising the judiciary, alleging that while other cases remain pending, the Rupandehi case was fast-tracked to send Lamichhane to jail.
Parsa: Charges yet to be filed
Meanwhile, in Parsa, no formal charges have yet been filed against Lamichhane in connection with the Sanopaila Cooperative case. On March 18, Lamichhane publicly expressed dissatisfaction over the delay.
SP Gautam Mishra, chief of Parsa Police, stated that the investigation is still underway and being conducted in phases as per directives from the government attorney’s office. “This case involves multiple defendants, not just Lamichhane. The investigation naturally takes more time,” he said.
A supplementary complaint in this case led to an arrest warrant against Lamichhane and 13 others on December 4, issued by the Parsa District Court. The cooperative’s former chairperson, GB Rai, is also implicated.
Sanopaila Cooperative reportedly collected Rs 1.35 billion from nearly 800 depositors across five wards of Birgunj Sub-Metropolitan City. Authorities allege that funds were misappropriated by issuing loans to non-members outside the cooperative’s jurisdiction— including loans of Rs 13.7 million to Nature Hub International, Rs 18.5 million to Nature Nest Pvt. Ltd., and Rs 10.1 million to Spring Wood Real Estate.
