Nepal’s Parliament Suspends Rabi Lamichhane as MP amid Money Laundering Case

The Parliament Secretariat of Nepal has issued a notice suspending Rabi Lamichhane, the elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Chitwan-2 and President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), following the filing of a money laundering case against him in the Kaski District Court. Padma Prasad Pandey, general secretary of the House of Representatives (HoR) Secretariat, confirmed the suspension, citing legal provisions under the Money Laundering Prevention Act of 2008. According to Section 27 of the Act, Lamichhane’s position as an MP is automatically suspended after the case’s registration.

The suspension came after Kaski Police formally requested the HoR Secretariat to suspend Lamichhane’s parliamentary membership. However, RSP lawmakers, including Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar, met with Speaker Devraj Ghimire to argue against the suspension. They insisted that the HoR rules, which require a closed-door debate before any suspension decision, should apply in Lamichhane’s case.

This legal issue marks the latest challenge for Lamichhane, who has faced multiple legal hurdles. In January 2023, the Supreme Court had previously removed him from public office, including his role as deputy prime minister and home minister, for failing to follow due process when renouncing his American citizenship. Lamichhane had contested the November 2022 elections using an invalid Nepali citizenship certificate, leading to the court’s ruling.

Lamichhane is now facing multiple charges, including money laundering, cooperative fraud, and organized crime, related to the Suryadarshan cooperative in Pokhara. The District Attorney’s Office in Kaski filed charges against him and 31 others, with 19 individuals, including Lamichhane, accused of involvement in organized crime. Lamichhane, along with other key figures, is charged with embezzling significant amounts of money from the cooperative.

Lamichhane has denied the charges and appeared before the court in Kaski for questioning. The investigation continues as he faces scrutiny for his involvement in the alleged financial misconduct, with the authorities continuing to probe the fraud case across multiple districts.