Madhu Marasini reinstated as Finance Secretary after acquittal

KATHMANDU: Following his acquittal in a corruption case, Madhu Marasini has been reinstated as the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance by the government.

The Council of Ministers, in its meeting held on Monday, decided to reinstate Marasini to his former position in the Ministry of Finance.

Marasini had been suspended from his duties, particularly due to his involvement in a corruption case, which cast a shadow over his career.

However, after being cleared of all charges by a special court, Marasini has returned to his role.

The corruption case, centered around the National Payment Gateway, saw the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filing charges against Marasini and eight others.

However, in a significant turn of events, Marasini was acquitted by a bench comprising Special Court Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar and Murari Babu Shrestha.

While Marasini and seven other defendants were cleared of all accusations, Sunil Paudel, one of the defendants, was convicted.

The case had implicated several high-profile individuals, including Sunil Paudel, then Deputy Secretary of National Information Technology Center, and Pranita Upadhyaya, then Executive Director of National Information Technology Center.