2 crores against Ravi and 25 crores against Image with a supplementary case with personal bigo demand likely to be filed today
Since the complete file of the case registered in the Rupandehi district court related to embezzlement of Supreme Cooperative's funds was not found, the registration of the supplementary case against Ravi Lamichhane, President of RSWP and Vice President and former DIG of Gorkha Media Network, has been delayed.
Although the District Public Prosecutor's Office has prepared a supplementary prosecution file, sources said that the delay occurred after the old file was not found in the court.
District Public Prosecutor's Office Rupandehi, in the first case, on 3rd Baisakh, 2081, accused 28 people of cooperative fraud and demanded only 1.3 billion. However, on Thursday, the public prosecutor's office has registered additional cases against 17 people including Rai, including cooperative fraud, organized crime, and more. On Thursday, according to the supplementary complaint, 14 more defendants including Ravi and Image were prepared to file a supplementary case. Due to lack of time, the case could not be registered at the last moment. Umakumari KC, information officer and assistant district attorney of the district public prosecutor's office, said that the supplementary prosecution is likely to be registered by 3 o'clock today (Friday) and if not on Friday, it will be on Sunday. "As long as possible, it will be done today," she said, "only if there is some technical difficulty, it can go on Sunday". The police had not registered a case against him. But the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the Attorney General brought the file to Kathmandu saying that they would study it. Sources claim that there is a delay in the registration of the case as the file has not been returned. 'There is talk that the file will come from Kathmandu today,' the source said, 'the case will be registered only if the file does not come, there is still confusion as to what to do if the file does not come.' Rai, Supreme's current president Omprakash Gurung, Kumar Ramtel, Sagar KC, and 28 people were filed in a cooperative fraud case. Ravi and Chibi were not involved in the case.
On the insistence of the then government, Ravi's innocent paper was also obtained from the district public prosecutor's office. According to court sources, there is a delay in the registration of the case because Ravi, who was then Home Minister, Attorney General Raman Shrestha, and Prime Minister Dahal did not send the entire file to Kathmandu and returned it.
Srestedar and Deputy Secretary of District Court Yagya Murthy Gyawali said that there is no reason to stop the registration of the case as there is no complete file of the original case, but only the additional indictment file is being filed in the court. "We sent the original case file as requested by the Supreme Court, it is coming by post today," he said, "due to security, people cannot carry it, so it has been sent safely by post, and the prosecution file will arrive today." He said that the case will be registered after completion. He said that there is no additional information as no file related to supplementary prosecution has come to the office.
The District Public Prosecutor's Office had prepared to register both charges on Thursday. A case was registered on 3rd Baisakh 2081 against 28 people including Gitendrababu Rai, the former chairman and patron of Supreme Cooperative. Ravi Lamichhane was the Home Minister at the time of registration of the said case. Because he was the Home Minister, the police could not investigate him and charge him in the case. In the first case, only 28 people including Rai were accused of co-operative fraud.
The police have registered a cooperative fraud and organized crime case against 17 people in the case that started on Thursday. Organized crime and an additional 2 crore 7 lakh rupees have been demanded for additional offences. In the initial case, it was 1.3 billion begos, now preparations are being made to register the case by demanding 2.7 million begos against 28 people and 7 million against 14 people in the supplementary complaint. 1 thousand 872 people of Supreme Cooperative have filed complaints. Research has shown that 10,391 savers of Supreme Cooperative have embezzled 1.31 billion.
