By Our Reporter At a time when a few top leaders of the ruling parties including Nepali Congress vice president Dhanraj Gurung are dragged into controversy for their alleged involvement in misusing the savings of cooperatives, the Parliamentary Special Committee formed to investigate the misuse of public funds by various cooperatives has recommended legal action against four individuals, including Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman and former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. On Monday, Surya Thapa, chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee, presented the report to Speaker Devraj Ghimire during the House meeting. In its report, the committee has urged authorities to prosecute the individuals, including Lamichhane and the cooperatives which diverted the money unlawfully to the account of the Gorkha Media Private Limited in which Lamichhane was serving as Managing Director. The committee in its report said that Lamichhane was accountable for misusing Rs. 650 million. However, Lamichhane, his party and supporters argued that he got a clean chit from the parliamentary committee, which committee chair Thapa outright rejected. When the committee clearly stated that Lamichhane used the money received by Gorkha Media Private Limited from the cooperatives and he should be punished for the crime, his supporters have been misleading the people stating that Lamichhane got clean chit. In the national gathering of the party in Kathmandu, the RSP leaders tried to give a message that their chairman's innocence in misusing cooperative funds was proved. The committee has concluded that Rs. 650 million injected into Gorkha Media came entirely from cooperatives and that the company’s shares were traded based on forged documents. The committee has recommended that the government take legal action against all individuals involved in the transfer of funds from cooperatives to Gorkha Media, including those from Suryadarshan in Pokhara, Supreme in Butwal, Swarnalaxmi in Kathmandu, Sahara Chitwan in Chitwan and Sano Paila in Birgunj. The committee has held Jitendra Bahadur Rai (GB Rai), Kumar Ramtel, Lamichhane, who was the managing director at the time, and Chhabilal Joshi accountable for the fraud as shareholders of Gorkha Media. The report states, “Following the irregular transfer of cooperative savings to Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Ltd., it was found that its Director Gitendra Babu Rai, member Kumar Ramtel, then-Managing Director Rabi Lamichhane, and board member Chhabilal Joshi were involved in spending the funds. They are responsible for the funds transferred to the company from the cooperatives during their tenure as a partner, the report recommends that the Government of Nepal take action against them by the prevailing law.” Lamichhane had claimed his innocence while testifying before the parliamentary committee. However, he failed to provide evidence to counter his involvement in the management of Gorkha Media and the illegal misappropriation of cooperative savings. The government formed the seven-member committee led by CPN-UML lawmaker Surya Thapa on May 28 as per the wider demand to investigate the alleged misappropriation of huge deposits in dozens of cooperatives across the country. The committee has submitted 14 recommendations to the government, with eight specifically concerning the misappropriation of cooperative funds in Gorkha Media. The committee has also advised the government to find and take legal action against Than Bahadur Budha Magar of Suryadarshan Pokhara, Dinesh Rokka of Sahara Chitwan, Sagar KC of Supreme Butwal, Tashbeer Khatun of Sano Paila Birgunj and Bhupendra Rai of Swarnalakshmi Kathmandu, along with Gitendra Babu Rai. Similarly, the committee has recommended that the government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, promptly investigate and bring the remaining fugitives under the law, taking swift action against them for embezzling the savings of cooperatives. Now it is the government which should proceed ahead with legal actions. But it is not sure whether the report will collect dust like many other reports or whether the government dares to take action against Lamichhane and others.