Kathmadu: Rabi Lamichhane, the elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Chitwan-2 and president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has been suspended from his parliamentary duties following a money laundering charge. The notice of suspension was issued by Padma Prasad Pandey, the general secretary of the House of Representatives (HoR) Secretariat, citing legal provisions. Lamichhane will remain suspended from his position as an MP until the resolution of the case, which has been filed at the Kaski District Court.
The suspension comes after Kaski Police requested the HoR Secretariat to take action, referencing Section 27 of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2008. According to the law, once a money laundering case is registered, the concerned individual’s official position is automatically suspended. This legal provision applies to individuals under investigation for money laundering, pending the outcome of the case.
The move has sparked political debate, with lawmakers from the RSP opposing the suspension. On Monday, Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar, along with MPs Sobita Gautam and Ganesh Parajuli, met with Speaker Devraj Ghimire, urging him not to suspend Lamichhane’s parliamentary status. The RSP representatives argued that the HoR’s internal rules should be followed, which require suspension only after a closed-door debate and a decision by the House.
According to the HoR Rules 2022, a member may only be suspended if they are detained in connection with a criminal case that carries a sentence of three years or more, or if they abscond while under investigation. Any suspension must be publicly announced during parliamentary sessions and made public during non-session periods.
This is not the first time Lamichhane’s position as an MP has been challenged. On January 27, 2023, the Supreme Court removed him from all public offices, including his role as deputy prime minister, home minister, and party leader, after ruling that he had failed to follow the proper procedure in obtaining Nepali citizenship. Lamichhane had renounced his U.S. citizenship but had not acquired a valid Nepali citizenship certificate in time. He was later reinstated as an MP after winning a by-election in Chitwan-2, securing over 40,000 votes.
Lamichhane is currently facing charges of cooperative fraud, money laundering, and organized crime. The Kaski District Attorney’s Office filed charges on Sunday, accusing him and 31 others of embezzling funds from the Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara. Lamichhane, along with five other defendants, appeared before the Kaski District Court today for testimony.
Assistant District Attorney Shanti Devi Sharma confirmed that Lamichhane and several others, including Ram Bahadur Khanal, Chhabilal Joshi, and Leela Pachai, are facing money laundering charges. Lamichhane is accused of misappropriating Rs 278.94 million in cooperative funds.
Lamichhane was arrested in Kathmandu on October 18, and he is under investigation in multiple districts, including Kaski, Rupandehi, Chitwan, and Parsa. The main suspects in the Suryadarshan cooperative fraud, including GB Rai, remain at large.
The legal proceedings are ongoing, and Lamichhane’s suspension continues to be a point of contention, raising both legal and political concerns for the RSP and the broader parliamentary process.