KATHMANDU: Rabi Lamichhane, President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former Home Minister, currently in custody over a cooperative fraud case, has been transferred from Rupandehi Jail to Nakkhu Jail in Lalitpur.
After a prolonged effort and repeated requests for a transfer closer to his home, Lamichhane was moved to Kathmandu on Saturday.
Lamichhane had initially filed a petition for transfer on Jestha 14 at the Rupandehi District Court, which was approved on Jestha 16.
Although he initially requested Dillibazar Jail, he submitted a supplementary request on Shrawan 28 to be moved to Nakkhu Jail.
Despite the court’s approval, the transfer was delayed, prompting him to lodge a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission.
The matter was also raised in the House of Representatives’ Law Committee on Thursday.
Following his complaint, newly appointed Director General of the Department of Prison Management, Lilaprasad Sharma, approved Lamichhane’s transfer on Friday.
According to prison regulations, inmates can be transferred closer to their home if requested. Lamichhane was transported to Kathmandu by air and is being held in a separate cell for security reasons, according to Nakkhu Jail Administrator Bhimraj Niraula.
Previously, the Rupandehi District Court had granted Lamichhane bail of Rs 10 million in the Supreme Cooperative Fraud Case on Magh 13.
However, the Butwal Bench of the High Court, Tulsipur, overturned the bail on Chaitra 22, sending him back to jail, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court.
Lamichhane also faces ongoing cooperative fraud cases in Kathmandu, Kaski, Chitwan, and Parsa.
In Kaski, he has been charged with money laundering, leading to the suspension of his parliamentary membership.
