Rastriya Swatantra Party chairman and former home minister Rabi Lamichhane appeared at Chitwan District Court on Wednesday in connection with the Sahara Multipurpose Cooperative fraud case.

According to court information officer Amrit Bishwakarma, Lamichhane arrived in the morning to record his statement, after which a remand hearing will be conducted.

His statement will be recorded before District Judge Dayaram Dhakal. Lamichhane faces fraud charges in Chitwan, while organised crime cases have been filed against him at courts in Kaski, Kathmandu, and Rupandehi. The district courts released Lamichhane and Joshi, among others, on bail.

On Tuesday, the District Government Attorney’s Office in Chitwan filed charge sheets against Lamichhane and 15 others. The supplementary charges were officially registered, implicating the accused in significant financial irregularities.

According to Amrit Bishwakarma, the court’s information officer, Lamichhane, alongside former Deputy Inspector General of Nepal Police 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 from various cooperatives to the media company. Lamichhane, who was elected a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2, has been suspended as a lawmaker after filing the case in the court.

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 Paudel, Bijay Rai, Netrapani Bastola, Shiva Bahadur Gurung, and Pragati Shrestha.