KATHMANDU: Rabi Lamichhane, the President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has formally asked Speaker Devraj Ghimire to lift his suspension as a Member of Parliament (MP).

On Friday, Lamichhane visited the Speaker’s office and presented a petition requesting the removal of his suspension.

In his petition, Lamichhane argued that he should not be suspended, as he has been granted bail by the courts in Kaski, Kathmandu, and Rupandehi, and has not been convicted of any crime.

The petition states: “I, the undersigned, am an elected MP from Chitwan District Constituency No. 2. Following a letter from the District Police Office in Kaski, the Criminal Investigation and Prosecution Branch, in accordance with Article 103 (6) of the Constitution of Nepal, informed the Honorable Speaker about my arrest on 2081/07/02 during a criminal investigation.”

“The Federal Parliament (House of Representatives) subsequently issued a notice on 2081/07/03 based on Sub-rule (2) of Rule 248 of the House of Representatives Rules 2071. Another notice was issued on 2081/09/08 in line with Section 27 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2064,” Lamichhane wrote.

“I was investigated for these criminal charges, but the courts have since released me, and I request the Speaker to take this into account.”