Nepal seeks to overturn release of rape-accused cricketer Lamichhane

Nepal's attorney general has appealed a decision to release on bail former national cricket captain Sandeep Lamichhane, who was in custody on rape charges, authorities said Wednesday.

Lamichhane, 22, the Himalayan country's biggest cricket star, is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in a Kathmandu hotel room last August.

In custody since October, a court allowed his release last month on a bond of two million rupees ($15,400).

Sanjiv Raj Regmi, a spokesman at Office of the Attorney General, told AFP that the appeal was filed Tuesday as the decision to release him on bail was "flawed".

"We have asked the Supreme Court to overturn the high court's decision to release him on bail. An accused of any criminal offence that could lead to the prison term of more than three years must stay in custody," Regmi said.

The star spin-bowler had been a poster boy for the rise of cricket in mountainous Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018.

His big break came when he was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals for the money-spinning Indian Premier League in 2018, and he has since been Nepal's most sought-after cricketer.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant against him in September while he was away playing in the Caribbean Premier League.

He returned and was arrested the following month and has maintained his innocence while fighting his pre-trial detention.

Lamichhane was suspended as Nepal's cricket captain after the arrest warrant was issued.