The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has decided to withdraw organised crime and money laundering charges filed against former home minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair Rabi Lamichhane in various district courts.

With the decision, government prosecutors in Kaski, Rupandehi, Kathmandu and Parsa will withdraw the organised crime and money laundering cases pending against Lamichhane. The OAG clarified that the cooperative fraud case against him will continue to be pursued unchanged.

“The cooperative fraud case stands as it is; approval has been granted to amend the charge-sheets only by withdrawing the organised crime and money laundering charges,” the Attorney General’s Office said.

Sabita Bhandari, attorney general, took the decision on Wednesday, granting approval to amend charge-sheets in four district courts. Following this, both organised crime and money laundering cases at the Kaski District Court will be withdrawn, while organised crime cases in Rupandehi, Kathmandu and Parsa will also be dropped. No amendment has been made in Chitwan, as no such cases are pending there.

The OAG invoked Section 36 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 2017, which allows amendment of charge-sheets with the attorney general’s approval when new or stronger evidence emerges while a case is sub judice. The provision permits prosecutors to seek court approval to revise charges before a verdict is delivered. Lamichhane had sought amendment of two cases under this provision, arguing it would facilitate his release on bail and weaken the cases against him.

Lamichhane had submitted an application to the OAG in September while he was in judicial custody at Nakkhu Prison over allegations of misappropriation of cooperative funds.

Earlier, on December 18, 2025, the Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court ordered Lamichhane’s release on bail in a cooperative fraud case after directing him to deposit bail equivalent to the alleged loss.

Meanwhile, on December 8, 2024, Kaski Police had written to Speaker Devraj Ghimire seeking suspension of Lamichhane’s parliamentary membership, citing the automatic suspension provision under Section 27 of the Money Laundering Prevention Act. The Speaker subsequently published a notice suspending his MP status.