As pressure mounts from the main opposition Nepali Congress for a parliamentary investigation into Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane into his alleged involvement in misusing cooperative funds, he appeared before the State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday to address lawmakers’ questions.

Along with Lamichhane, Home Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, and Inspector General of Nepal Police Basanta Kunwar, among other senior officials, attended the meeting.

Members of the committee asked questions ranging from the allegations against Home Minister Lamichhane for embezzling the fund of a Kaski-based cooperative; the police failure to arrest Gitendra Babu Rai (GB Rai), the prime suspect in the embezzlement of funds of several cooperatives who has been evading arrest for months, and possession of personal weapons by the controversial medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai, among other issues.

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in January issued a diffusion notice against Rai, the founding chairman of Pokhara Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperatives. Rai, who has been accused of embezzling over Rs1 billion, has been on the run.

The police had obtained an arrest warrant from Kaski District Court against Rai, among others accused in the case, last year.

At the start of the meeting, Nepali Congress lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu asked the home minister not to hold the post until the investigation against him is over. A complaint has been filed against the home minister accusing him of illegally borrowing Rs10 million from a Kaski-based cooperative that was later declared as crisis-ridden, said Badu, “so it is advised that you better give up [ministerial] responsibilities until the investigations are over.”

Badu also expressed his displeasure at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police interrogating industrialist Binod Chaudhary, a Congress lawmaker, over the Bansbari Leather and Shoe Factory land scam. “The way the CIB wrote to the Speaker about the ongoing investigation on Chaudhary was against parliamentary practices,” he said.

Badu was of the view that the police should inform the Speaker only when they have to arrest a lawmaker. However, in Chaudhary’s case, police wrote to the Speaker and informed him that they were investigating Chaudhary’s alleged involvement in converting a Bansbari-based public land plot into private property.

Krishna Gopal Shrestha of the CPN-UML asked whether the government allows individuals to carry sophisticated weapons like medical entrepreneur Prasai does. Recently, the Supreme Court also urged the government to probe the matter and asked whether Prasai’s bodyguards had permission from the authorities to carry the weapons.

Lamichhane defended himself against allegations of embezzling cooperative funds.

“I was not involved in the said case,” he told the State Affairs Committee. “Yes, my name has been dragged into the case, but there is no evidence to prove my involvement.”

The main opposition Nepali Congress has been demanding a parliamentary probe into the charges against Lamichhane.

“There is no evidence to prove my involvement in the cooperative fraud case. I will not influence the investigation. The complaints against me were registered when the Nepali Congress was in government, but there is no evidence against me…There is no signature, no thumbprint and no KYC document…A case has been filed in the court but I have not been named as a defendant,” the minister said.

Inspector General of Nepal Police Kunwar told the parliamentary committee that police have not found any evidence of Lamichhane’s involvement in the alleged funds embezzlement.

Kunwar also said Rai, the prime suspect, is believed to be staying in Malaysia and a diffusion notice has been issued against him. According to him, 15 suspects in the case of misusing cooperatives funds are absconding and five are in judicial custody. He claimed that as Nepal and Malaysia don’t have an extradition treaty, it has been difficult for them to repatriate Rai.

“The government of Malaysia has asked us to send a draft of extradition and deportation [papers]. We sent both drafts to the Malaysian government via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We cannot bring Rai back until the Malaysian government hands him over to us. Our home minister, former home minister, and foreign minister are working on it,” said Kunwar.

The police chief also defended Lamichhane’s case and stated that just one ‘symbolic’ complaint was registered against Lamichhane with the Kaski Police, and there is no proof of his involvement in financial embezzlement.

The Nepali Congress has been demanding an in-depth investigation against Lamichhane and questions his eligibility to lead the home ministry citing a conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, defending the government ban on political gatherings and protests in some places in Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts, Home Secretary Aryal said the move was necessary for maintaining law and order.

Regarding the police interrogation of industrialist and lawmaker Chaudhary, Home Minister Lamichhane told the committee that there was no political bias or prejudice against the Nepali Congress lawmaker.

“The government is only following law and order,” he said, adding, “I will not engage in political vendettas.”

On the issue of medical entrepreneur Prasai possessing weapons, Lamichhane clarified that Prasai has been in possession of more weapons than was allowed by the law, and the government is investigating the matter.