Ravi Lamichhane: What Relief Does the RSWP Chairman Gain as the Money Laundering Case Is Withdrawn?

On Friday, the Kaski District Court issued an order to drop the charges of money laundering and organized crime against Ravi Lamichhane, chairman of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSWP), in the Surya Darshan Saving and Credit Cooperative fraud case. According to court registrar Rajan Khanal, only the charges related to cooperative fraud will remain against him and other defendants. “All charges concerning money laundering and organized crime for the defendants have been amended,” he stated.

Accordingly, the charges against co-defendants GB Rai and Shyamlal Joshi have also been amended. The money laundering case against Ravi Lamichhane was registered solely in the Kaski District Court, while organized crime cases are also underway in Kathmandu, Rupandehi, and Parsa districts. Legal experts have noted that the withdrawal of the money laundering case grants Lamichhane significant relief.

Earlier, a legal practitioner involved in Lamichhane’s case explained that with the removal of the money laundering allegations, Lamichhane is also relieved from political pressure. There had been earlier questions regarding his parliamentary suspension under the Money Laundering Act linked to these charges. After the formation of Sushila Karki’s government, the Attorney General’s office initiated the process to withdraw both the money laundering and organized crime charges against him.