Rabi Lamichhane, chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and former home minister, will remain in police custody at least until Wednesday as the remand hearing in the Swarnalakshmi Cooperative fraud case remains incomplete. Although his statement was recorded on Sunday, the Kathmandu District Court has yet to conclude the hearing.

Judge Madhav Prasad Adhikari’s bench ordered the continued custody, citing pending arguments from Lamichhane’s defence team. “Tuesday is a public holiday of Maghi, so the court will resume the hearing on Wednesday,” a court official stated.

The case involves accusations of embezzlement of savings in the Kathmandu-based Swarnalakshmi Cooperative. Lamichhane appeared before the court on Sunday, following his earlier release on bail in a similar case involving Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Cooperative. The Kaski District Court had ordered his release on Thursday upon the payment of Rs6.5 million in bail, ending 84 days of police custody.

However, Lamichhane’s legal troubles continue to mount, with additional fraud cases being prepared in Rupandehi’s Supreme Cooperative, Chitwan’s Sahara Cooperative, and Parsa’s Sano Paila Cooperative. Further hearings in these cases are anticipated in the coming weeks.