KATHMANDU: The Kaski District Court has set a bail amount of NPR 6.5 million for Rabi Lamichhane, Chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who is implicated in a cooperative fraud case.

The decision was made on Thursday evening after a week-long detention hearing led by Judge Nitij Rai.

If Lamichhane posts the required bail, he is expected to be released today.

However, with additional cases pending in districts like Kathmandu and Chitwan, his legal challenges may continue, and further arrests could follow.

Lamichhane was arrested on October 18 in Kathmandu and has been in police custody in Kaski ever since.

He faces charges related to cooperative fraud, money laundering, and organized crime.

The District Attorney’s Office in Kaski previously filed a case against him, seeking damages of Rs 270 million for money laundering.

The charges are tied to the Suryadarshan Cooperative Institution, where Lamichhane is accused of embezzling large amounts of money from members’ savings.

On December 22, the District Attorney’s Office filed the case in Kaski District Court, demanding compensation of over Rs 270 million.

According to the prosecution, the investigation uncovered Rs 278.9 million in unexplained sources, which form the basis for the money laundering charges.

Despite the significant claim, the court has set the bail at Rs 6.5 million, allowing for his conditional release.

The case has attracted considerable attention due to Lamichhane’s prominent role as a politician and former Home Minister.