The District Government Attorney’s Office in Chitwan has filed charge-sheets against former Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Rabi Lamichhane and 15 others at the District Court, Chitwan, in connection with Sahara Chitwan Multipurpose Cooperative fraud. The supplementary charges were officially registered on Tuesday, implicating the accused in significant financial irregularities.

According to Amrit Bishwakarma, the court’s information officer, Lamichhane, alongside former Deputy Inspector General Chhabilal Joshi, is accused of direct involvement in fraudulent activities. The charge-sheet against him claims that Lamichhane received payments beyond his official salary from the cooperative and was involved in making payments to various individuals and institutions, contributing to the fraud.

This case follows the filing of charges on September 24, when Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, the founder of the cooperative, was named the primary suspect. In that filing, 17 individuals were implicated in the scam, including former officials of the cooperative.

Lamichhane, who was also a shareholder and director of Gorkha Media Network at the time, is under investigation for his role in diverting funds. He was elected a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2.

Other defendants in the case include Ram Bahadur Khanal, Rabina Rimal, Bishal Tamang, Nabin Achhami, Kabita Tamang, Dipak Lama, Ashraf Ali Siddiki, Bhagwati Bamjan, Laxmi Prasad Poudel, Bijay Rai, Netrapani Bastola, Shiva Bahadur Gurung, and Pragati Shrestha.

Lamichhane, who faced similar allegations in Kaski, Kathmandu and Rupandehi, has been released on bail from the respective district courts.