Prepared a report convicting Lamichhane in co-operative fraud

Lamichhane has been looking for evidence of misappropriation of the cooperative's funds, but the investigation committee has gathered dozens of evidences to confirm his guilt.

GB, Ravi and Chabhi, who operated a joint account in the bank, spent the money received from the cooperative to Gorkha Media by cutting a cheque. It seems that the account is operated with the signatures of two of the three people. A check signed by Ravi Lamichhane was also exchanged. The amount signed and exchanged by Lamichhane to pay the company's salary also came from the cooperative," said a member of the committee. Not only when the news came out in the

media, but also during the 9-hour statement in the investigation committee, Lamichhane claimed that he did not know anything about the investment, income and expenses of Gorkha media. However, the company's audit report including investments, loans and assets also found the signatures of Gitendrababu (GB) Rai as the chairman and Ravi Lamichhane as the managing director. "No matter what he says about the sources of investment, expenses and legal obligations, there is no place to give immunity," a member of the investigation committee told Kantipur.

Like the president of the company Rai, the managing director Lamichhane also transferred the savings of the cooperative to the company and registered the shares from the company registrar's office on May 5, 2078. In the paper submitted by Lamichhane to the company registrar's office with his signature and thumbprint, it is mentioned that he has paid money to the company for 15 percent shares. However, Lamichhane claimed that the amount shown by him was transferred from the Supreme Cooperative of Butwal to the company and was spent as his investment. "Even though he denied the details given with bank statements, vouchers, company minutes, the law could not be ignored," says the member of the committee.

The meeting that started at 10 am on Sunday lasted until 3 pm to finalize the report of the investigation committee. After about 17 hours of discussion, the meeting ended with a consensus. According to a member of the committee, a report was written to find him guilty based on the documents of the cooperative and Gorkha media, the statements of the accused and the directors, the complaints of the victims and the documents signed by Lamichhane himself.

However, Parliamentary Committee member and RSVP MP Shishir Khanal and Maoist MP Lekhnath Dahal took a stand not to mention Lamichhane's name. Since the financial responsibility of Gorkha Media Network lies with the chairman GB Rai, they were of the position that the managing director Lamichhane should not be found guilty. However, while writing the series of documents and proofs, there was no room for them to disagree with the conclusion,' said one member, 'The meeting has ended with an agreement at night, which is said to be typed and signed at 11 am on Monday.'

Sarita Bhusal, Dilendra Prasad Badu, Ishwari Neupane, Lekhnath Dahal, Shishir Khanal and Dhruva Bahadur are the main members of the seven-member committee along with the chairman Surya Thapa. According to sources, Pradhan signed the report at night as he was going out on Monday. Badu, a member of the committee, said, "Even if there is some debate in the discussion, the report will come by consensus."

Committee chairman Thapa said that a meeting will be held on Monday at 11 am to sign the report. We have held a meeting from 10 am to 3 pm and discussed, based on the evidence we have come to a conclusion. The last meeting is held at 11 am and the signing is done. It is ready to be submitted to the speaker at 1 o'clock," he said. However, he said that only after the last meeting, the content can be clarified. A member of the

committee says that based on the evidence, 9 people including Lamichhane were found guilty and agreed to send a written report to the government for further action. He said that since the guilt of 9 people including GB Rai, Ravi Lamichhane, Chabilal Joshi, Kumar Ramtel, the operators of Gorkha Media Network has been found, he has come to the conclusion that he will send a letter to the government to take action against them.

GB president and Lamichhane managing director of Gorkha Media Network saved at least 95 million 81 million rupees saved by about 50 thousand people of Suryadarshan in Pokhara, Supreme in Butwal, Swarnalakshmi in Kathmandu and Sahara Sahakari in Chitwan. Out of this, during the period when Lamichhane was the Managing Director alone, Rs 803.1 million went illegally to the Gorkha Media Network, according to the available documents. However, the member of the committee said that the committee found that more money went to the Gorkha media network.

Lamichhane, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, obstructed the investigation by suppressing the complaints filed by cooperative savers to the police, and a special parliamentary investigation committee was formed on May 15. In the mandate given to the committee, the scope of investigation was set on 29 cooperatives, including those that brought money to the Gorkha Media Network. The first meeting of the committee was held on May 22. From the same day, the time to submit the report to the committee was given till August 22. However, after the report could not be written, the parliament extended the deadline for another 15 days. Although the

committee has time until October 6th, since Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to go there on October 4th to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, the Council of Ministers meeting on Sunday decided to adjourn the parliament from midnight on Monday. Pressured by the government's decision to end the parliament session, the committee held a meeting all night with the aim of submitting a report to this session. Even during the statement taken by the

committee, Lamichhane said that he was not aware of the money coming to Gorkha Media Network. Also, he said that he came to know about the co-operative's money going to the Gorkha media network only after he was elected MP for the second time. However, Lamichhane became the managing director to make the world's number one TV in the field of information, news and analysis.

GBG came with a proposal to run the world's number one television. Attractive salary, benefits and shares were offered. After that, I took an advance of Rs. 75 lakhs as a monthly salary of Rs. 5 lakhs. We have entered into a commercial agreement with the same amount," Ravi revealed during the statement. However, the remaining 1 crore of his share was brought from Butwal's Supreme Cooperative. Not only that, two crores of rupees separately from Supreme was also transferred to Gorkha Media on behalf of Lamichhane. During the

statement, the then Vice President of Gorkha Media Network, Chabilalal Joshi, has stated that the misunderstanding increased after Ravi and GB tried to put their house in the bank when they needed money. Chabhi said that it is not possible as the house is not in his name but in his wife's name. After that, GB and Ravi have together mentioned in the statement that they had the job of getting themselves out of the Gorkha media network.

Key parts of the report to be submitted to Parliament today

• Gitendrababu (GB) Rai, Ravi Lamichhane and Chavi Lal Joshi operated a joint account with Global IME and the then Civil Bank by filling the KYC form.
  
• A check signed by Ravi Lamichhane has been exchanged in Gorkha Media's account, the amount signed and exchanged by Lamichhane to pay the company's salary also came from the cooperative.
• The paper submitted by Lamichhane to the company registrar's office with signature and thumbprint also includes a bank statement that he has paid money to the company for the 15 percent share, the amount is Supreme Cooperative
• Since the issue of Miteri Cooperative was not raised when the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee was formed, in the Order of Procedure (TOR) and schedule Although the name of this cooperative is not known, it will be sent in writing to investigate Congress Vice President Dhanraj Gurung.