Court Refuses to Withdraw Organized Crime and Money Laundering Charges Against Rabi Lamichhane

The Rupandehi District Court has refused to immediately withdraw the organized crime and money laundering charges against Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and other defendants. 

The court declined to implement an application filed following a decision by the Office of the Attorney General to drop the charges related to organized crime and money laundering while keeping the cooperative fraud charges intact. 

The District Government Attorney's Office had submitted the application for withdrawal, but the court rejected the request. According to Krishna Prasad Paudel, a registrar at the court, the bench has ordered that the matter be presented only after the Supreme Court reaches a conclusion on a related writ petition. 

Paudel informed Lokantar that on Magh 6, a bench led by Judge Shyamlal Ghimire issued an order stating that since a writ regarding the same subject is still pending in the Supreme Court, the application should be resubmitted only after the final decision regarding the interim order is made.