Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane has denied having any role in handling the finances of the Gorkha Media Network as its managing director.

Responding to over four dozen questions from lawmakers of the parliamentary committee investigating fraud involving various cooperatives, Lamichhane pointed the finger at Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, then chairperson of the media network.

To every question related to financial dealings, he answered he was not aware, according to the lawmakers who quizzed him. Lamichhane, former deputy prime minister and the minister for home affairs, was summoned by the parliamentary committee in the capacity of the executive director at the media network.

“Lamichhane said it was GB Rai who oversaw the financial part including loans and other expenditures,” said Surya Thapa, chairperson of the parliamentary panel. “He claimed his role was limited to day-to-day administrative works and production and management of television programmes.”

Lamichhane was invited to the 45th meeting of the committee whose tenure ends next week. Stating that he received a 15 percent share in the media network as sweat equity, he reiterated that he had not made any investment there.

According to Sarita Bhusal, a member of the committee, Lamichhanec said he cannot be held responsible for the loans the media network received from the different cooperatives because it was Rai who managed the finances.

“He claimed that there are no signatures, citizenship details or other official documents attached to the loan papers for releasing money from Suryadarshan, Supreme, Sahara or Swarnalaxmi cooperatives to the media network,” said Bhusal. Lamichhane has been making similar claims in public ever since he was linked to the cooperative scam.

Starting at 4 in the afternoon, the question-answer with Lamichhane lasted almost six hours into the night. He shifted the blame to Rai for every question related to money.

Prior to Lamichhane, the probe panel had quizzed Chhabilal Joshi, a founder of the news network. Both are accused of funnelling cooperative funds to the now defunct media company that operated Galaxy 4K television.

On Sunday, the parliamentary committee recorded the statement of Bipin Acharya, deputy general secretary of the Lamichhane-led party. Acharya, who was creative director of the Gorkha Media Network, is also alleged to have been involved in embezzling funds from multiple cooperatives established under the leadership of Rai.

Although Parliament had found that over Rs120 million was deposited to his account from different cooperatives, Acharya claimed he was unaware of it. The pattern of answers from Lamichhane and Archarya was strikingly similar, a member of the House committee said.

The seven-strong House committee was formed on May 28 following demands from then-main opposition Nepali Congress. It was given three months to accomplish the task. Before Lamichhane, the probe panel had already interrogated 29 individuals involved in cooperatives frauds.

It has already questioned Sudhir Basnet, who chaired Oriental Cooperatives; former lawmaker Ichchha Raj Tamang, who was the chair at Civil Cooperatives; and Krishna Bahadur Upreti, chair of Ideal Namuna Cooperatives, to its meetings and interrogated them on the issue. All of them are in custody.

Additionally, police have summoned Kumar Ramtel, Bhabeshwar Aryal, Shiva Kumar Gurung, and Kalpana Shrestha of the Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Cooperatives for interrogation. They were brought from the custody in Pokhara to Kathmandu for the purpose.

Om Prakash Gurung, chair of the Supreme Cooperatives, Butwal, was also brought to Kathmandu from Bhairahawa Prison.

The committee also interrogated Dipesh Kumar Pun, the former secretary of the Supreme Cooperatives, Butwal. Pun is the son of former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun. The Thapa-led committee has the authority to investigate alleged scams in 29 credit cooperatives. Of them, 20 have been listed as crisis-ridden by the government while nine others are linked to the media network. Ideal Yamuna Multipurpose Cooperative, Image Saving and Credit Cooperative, Sahara Saving and Cooperative, Samanta Saving and Credit Cooperative and Sano Paila Saving and Credit Cooperative had allegedly injected money into the media network.

The other four connected to the media network are Supreme Saving and Credit Cooperative, Suryadarshan Saving and Credit Cooperative, Sumeru Saving and Credit Cooperative, and Swarnalaxmi Saving and Credit Cooperative.

The parliamentary committee has five days to wrap up its investigation.