Former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane Found Guilty in Nepal Cooperative Scam
A special parliamentary committee in Nepal has found former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane guilty of embezzling millions of rupees in a cooperative scam. The committee, formed on May 28, presented its report on Monday, which was endorsed by the House session.
Details of the Scam
The report revealed that millions of rupees were funneled into Gorkha Media using forged documents. Surya Thapa, the chairman of the investigation committee, stated that the committee held 14 meetings and inquired with 55 people, including 47 cooperative operators, 3 staff from Gorkha Media, and 5 officials from the cooperative monitoring body.
Involvement of Rabi Lamichhane
Rabi Lamichhane, who was the managing director of Gorkha Media at the time, was found to have violated cooperative legislation by investing cooperative savings. He later entered politics in 2022, forming the Rastriya Swatantra Party and becoming a parliamentarian.
Recommendations
The report recommends legal action against those involved in the scam and urges the government to strengthen regulations on sweat shares. It also suggests determining the payment process for the transfer of shares and paying applicable taxes.
Next Steps
House Speaker Devraj Ghimire has directed the government to implement the report’s recommendations. The committee was initially given three months to complete the investigation, with an extension of 15 days.
Committee Members
The committee was headed by Surya Thapa and included members from various political parties, including Nepali Congress, UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), RSP, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party.
Doubts Revealed
Home Minister -: The Home Minister is a government official responsible for internal affairs, like law and order, within a country.
Rabi Lamichhane -: Rabi Lamichhane is a person who used to be the Home Minister of Nepal. He is now found guilty of being involved in a scam.
Nepal -: Nepal is a country located in South Asia, between India and China. It is known for its mountains, including Mount Everest.
Cooperative scam -: A cooperative scam is when people cheat or steal money from a cooperative, which is an organization owned and run by its members who share the profits or benefits.
Parliamentary committee -: A parliamentary committee is a group of people from the parliament (like a big meeting of important people) who investigate and make decisions on specific issues.
Embezzling -: Embezzling means stealing money that you were trusted to take care of, usually from a job or organization.
Rupees -: Rupees are the currency or money used in Nepal and India. It is like how we use rupees to buy things in India.
Gorkha Media -: Gorkha Media is a company involved in the scam. It seems they used fake documents to get money.
Forged documents -: Forged documents are fake papers that people make to trick others into believing they are real.
Legal action -: Legal action means taking someone to court or making them face the law because they did something wrong.
Sweat shares -: Sweat shares are shares given to people in a company for their hard work instead of money. The report wants the government to make rules about these shares stronger.
