The Rupandehi District Court has registered supplementary charges against Rabi Lamichhane, Chhabilal Joshi, and 40 others in connection with the Supreme Savings and Credit Cooperative embezzlement case. The accused are charged with misappropriating over Rs1.31 billion, with additional allegations of organised crime filed against 17 of them.

The supplementary case, filed on Sunday, accuses Lamichhane, Joshi, and Lakshmi Paudel of cooperative fraud and organised crime, seeking Rs101.9 million in damages. Of the 42 accused, 14 are newly implicated, while 28 were already facing charges in the original case filed on April 15, 2024.

Rupandehi Court’s information officer Anantaraj Marasini confirmed that Rs510.1 million has been claimed against former Supreme chair Gitendra Babu Rai. The supplementary case also alleges Rs140 million was transferred to Gorkha Media Network as part of the embezzlement.

The public prosecutor’s office stated that the latest charges include a breakdown of specific misappropriations, reflecting a more comprehensive investigation. Among the newly charged are Supreme’s former executives and key figures, while 17 individuals from the original case face additional claims and charges.

Supreme’s mismanagement reportedly affected 10,391 depositors, with Rs1.31 billion in funds unaccounted for. The cooperative’s fraudulent activities have sparked public outrage and increased scrutiny of cooperative regulations.