Kaski District court approves withdrawal of money laundering and organized crime charges against Rabi Lamichhane

Kathmandu-The Kaski District Court has approved the withdrawal of money laundering and organized crime charges filed against Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane and Gitendra Babu Rai (GB Rai).Following approval from then Attorney General Sabita Bhandari, the District Government Attorney’s Office had submitted an application to withdraw the charges related to money laundering and organized crime while retaining the cooperative fraud charges.

A bench led by Judge Himalal Belbase issued the ruling yesterday, endorsing the decision to drop the money laundering and organized crime charges not only against Lamichhane but also against GB Rai and other defendants.The case against former DIG Chhabilal Joshi has also been withdrawn. Initially, former Attorney General Bhandari had decided on January 13 to amend charges only in Lamichhane’s case. However, acknowledging an error in that decision, she later granted permission on January 16 to revise the charges against GB Rai and other defendants as well.The court stated that the application to withdraw the charges did not appear to have any malicious intent, as it aimed to ensure the speedy return of depositors’ savings. The court cited four main reasons for its decision.

First, the government had not originally filed organized crime and money laundering charges, and the victims’ complaints also did not include these allegations.Second, the court observed that if these charges were not withdrawn, it would become difficult for victims to recover their savings through reconciliation between the parties, making the process more complicated.Third, the court said that withdrawing these charges would not defeat the fundamental spirit of justice.Fourth, the order noted that there was no evidence of bad faith on the part of prosecutors in seeking to withdraw the charges.