A day after the Office of the Attorney General’s Office (OAG) decided to withdraw organised crime and money laundering charges filed against Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair and former home minister Rabi Lamichhane in several district courts, CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli has criticised the move.

Oli condemned the decision, saying it exposed the absence of rule of law in the country. “In Nepal, might is right,” he remarked during a UML function on Thursday. “This is how things have been running. The OAG has been stained for history. Can something like this really happen?”

Following the decision, government prosecutors in Kaski, Rupandehi, Kathmandu and Parsa will withdraw the organised crime and money laundering cases against Lamichhane.

The OAG clarified that the cooperative fraud case against him will continue unchanged.

Attorney General Sabita Bhandari took the decision on Wednesday, granting approval to amend chargesheets 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 Following this, both organised crime and money laundering cases at the Kaski District Court will be withdrawn, while organised crime cases in Rupandehi, Kathmandu and Parsa will also be dropped.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 changes have been made in Chitwan, as no such cases are pending there.

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, attempts were made to sweep under the rug the controversy over illegal egg extraction and sale involving a fertility clinic linked to Attorney General Savita Bhandari Baral. And now another controversy has emerged,” said Oli, adding, "We were often told to forget about the egg-trading issue, and just when we thought we had, another scandal came up, and then another.”

“Now we have cases being altered, and charges withdrawn. Who will pay the money wasted in all this? Will the Attorney General's Office pay for it?” Oli further questioned.

Oli also accused the incumbent Sushila Karki-led government of bowing to foreign influence. He said his party wants to establish a government for the Nepali people and will dismantle any government created by foreign powers.

Referring to the special general convention of the Nepali Congress and split of the grand old party on Wednesday following the election of Gagan Thapa as party president, Oli also said attempts were made to split the UML as well, but a general convention held last month safeguarded party unity.

Only last month, in the wake of the Gen Z movement, Oli was re-elected chair of the party for a third constitutive term.

"What’s happening in the Congress right now, is similar to what was attempted in our party. “We held a general convention to clear the air and put all rumours to rest. Now, they are forcibly expelling [erstwhile Congress chief] Sher Bahadur."