Legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane of Nepal was found guilty of raping an 18-year-old lady and was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Kathmandu District Court.
On January 10, the verdict was announced along with an extra compensation award for the victim of Rs 200,000 (about $1,500) and a fine of Rs 300,000 (about $2,255).
Early in September of last year, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) suspended Lamichhane, and at the same time, an arrest warrant was issued for his arrest.
Lamichhane, the captain of Nepal at the time, was playing in the West Indies CPL 2022 with the Jamaica Tallawahs. After the punishment, the club swiftly declared that he was withdrawing from the competition.
Saroj Ghimire, Lamichhane’s attorney, confirmed the ruling and stated that he intended to fight it at a higher court.
With the accusation described as a “conspiracy and wrongful allegation,” Lamichhane had earlier maintained his innocence on Facebook and was controversially back on Nepal’s cricket team in February.
Notably, opponents refused to shake hands with him during a Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series, indicating how tense the circumstances were.
Despite the conviction, Lamichhane kept playing cricket, showing up for tournaments like the ODI Asia Cup and the Zimbabwean ODI World Cup qualifier.
In a Nepal Pro Club Championship match in Birgunj on December 29, the day of his conviction, the cricketer captained PARSA Club XI to victory.
