Given the mountain of evidence piled up by the special parliamentary probe committee to establish his involvement in the misappropriation of funds of various cooperatives, the arrest of Rabi Lamichhane, the Rastriya Swatantra Party chief and former deputy prime minister and home minister, was inevitable. Misusing the funds of hundreds of thousands of poor depositors, most of whom occupy the lowest rungs of the national economic ladder, is the most dastardly crime. We thus hope that those named by the committee, including Lamichhane, are brought to book. But that is not enough. Following Lamichhane’s arrest, his supporters have been blaming the government of being motivated by personal vendetta against the RSP chair. As evidence, they point to Nepali Congress vice-president Dhanaraj Gurung and CPN-UML federal lawmaker Rishikesh Pokharel, who, they allege, are being let off the hook despite their involvement in similar scandals.

Gurung is accused of abetting the misappropriation of funds from a Lalitpur-based cooperative. He reportedly helped his ex-wife, Joyti Gurung, embezzle around Rs12.5 million. Similarly, there are accusations that Pokharel, the CPN-UML leader who is also the chair of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, helped his wife, Anjala Koirala, embezzle as much as Rs120 million from a Morang-based cooperative. Apparently, the Congress-UML government is using all its power to save them from prosecution. Whether that is the case, these critics of the government do have a point. To show that the government machinery is not targeting a single person or party, the allegations against the top Congress and UML leaders should also be thoroughly investigated and the respective parties must help with such probes.

The larger goal here is not only to punish particular people like Lamichhane or GB Rai, Lamichhane’s partner-in-crime at Galaxy 4k TV run by the Gorkha Media Network. It is rather to clean up the cooperative sector, one of the three pillars of the national economy. Moreover, the prosecution of Lamichhane will seem credible only if there is also an impartial investigation of the allegations against top leaders affiliated with the ruling coalition. Thankfully, at least in Gurung’s case, the Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police is already looking into his involvement in the Lalitpur-based cooperative. But what is the Congress doing on the matter? In the case of Pokharel, it would be wise of the UML to conduct an internal investigation. The law enforcement agencies can then take over. Such an initiative of the prime minister’s party would buttress the public image of both the UML and the country’s executive head.

Given the widespread cynicism with the state machinery, it has become vital to restore some public faith in it. That is difficult when the prime minister himself accepts gargantuan donations to establish a party office. Such gestures signal that PM Oli considers himself above the law. There is growing skepticism of the government representatives’ commitment to the people, or of their ability to work impartially. If some people are prosecuted while others facing similar charges are spared, even genuine cases of cooperatives frauds like those involving former home minister Lamichhane will seem a suspect. Prime Minister Oli and his coalition partners know that well, don’t they?