KATHMANDU: The Special Court has authorized the extension of the detention of the suspended Managing Director of Nepal Telecom, Sunil Paudel, and the suspended Executive Director of Security Printing Center, Bikal Paudel, for an additional ten days, facilitating ongoing investigations.

The bench of judges, including Khushi Prasad Tharu, Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Ritendra Thapa, granted permission for the extension.

The Paudel duo was apprehended by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on January 24 in connection with corruption and misappropriation allegations.

Upon summons by the CIAA for a statement regarding the investigation into their disproportionate assets, Sunil and Bikal refused to appear.

Subsequently, they were taken into CIAA custody.

Following their involvement in the Security Printing scandal, they were suspended from their respective posts.

On October 2, 2023, the CIAA filed a corruption case in the Special Court, seeking Rs 232,758,000 against individuals, including Paudel.

Similarly, in April 2023, the CIAA filed a case against Bikal Paudel and others, seeking approximately 700 million rupees.

Both individuals are currently under arrest, and concerns have been raised about their potential misuse of public resources for personal gain and the transfer of assets abroad during the investigation.