Jan 06, Kathmandu- The closed-door hearing of seven defendants, including Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairman and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, accused in the embezzlement case of Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative, has been ongoing at the Kaski District Court since last Tuesday.

The arguments of the legal practitioners on behalf of the defendants began on Friday, and the arguments of the legal practitioners on behalf of President Lamichhane have begun today, informed court clerk Rajan Khanal. According to him, today, advocate Sushil Kumar Pant has argued on behalf of Lamichhane. Earlier, legal practitioners on behalf of defendants Leela Pachai and Chhabilal Joshi had a discussion.

The arguments of the legal practitioners on the defendant side are ongoing after the government attorney and the legal practitioners of the victimized cooperative argued on the case. The closed arguments began in the bench of District Judge Nitij Rai last Tuesday after the defendants' statements ended. District Attorney Kamala Kafle informed that the rebuttal arguments will begin again on behalf of the government attorney after the arguments of the legal practitioners on the defendant side are over.

After the detention hearing, an order will be issued to keep the defendants in custody for trial or to release them for further investigation. The detention hearing is underway against former DIG Chhabilal Joshi, Leela Pachai, Krishna Bahadur Gurung, Ram Bahadur Khanal and others involved in the cooperative fraud case, including President Lamichhane. On Paush 7, the District Attorney's Office filed a case against 44 people, including President Lamichhane, on charges of embezzling cooperative funds.

A case has been filed against Chairman Lamichhane for fraud against the cooperative, as well as for organized crime and money laundering. The Office of the Public Prosecutor has so far filed a case against 63 people in the District Court, Kaski, in connection with the fraud against the Surya Darshan Cooperative. The Office of the Public Prosecutor has stated that a case has been filed against 19 people, including Chairman Lamichhane, for organized crime.

Similarly, a case of money laundering has been filed against Khanal, Joshi and Pachai along with Lamichhane, according to the government prosecutor's office. Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Lamichhane was arrested from Kathmandu on Kartik 2 on charges of embezzling savings of a cooperative. Cases have also been registered against other individuals accused of defrauding the cooperative, demanding compensation and punishment as per the crime.