KATHMANDU: Nine officials associated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been named among 18 individuals charged in the high-profile e-passport procurement corruption case filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).
The anti-graft body on Monday filed a corruption case against officials of the Department of Passports, foreign company representatives, and contractors, seeking recovery of more than Rs 10.13 billion in alleged losses caused to the state.
Those named in the charge sheet include Department of Passports Director General Tirtharaj Aryal, Information Technology Director Sunil Kumar KC, former directors Shatrudhwan Prasad Sharma Pokharel and Rabindra Rajbhandari, former accounts officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya, computer engineer Bipin Prasai, former section officer Somesh Thapa, former Foreign Ministry under-secretaries Rajaram Dahal and Bhesh Prasad Bhurtel, and former legal under-secretary Pushkar Raj Nepal.
According to the CIAA, the accused colluded with foreign contractors during the bidding and procurement process to secure unlawful benefits and cause financial losses to the government.
The investigation relates to two separate procurement packages under the e-passport project. German company Muehlbauer ID Services secured the contract under Package-1, while Veridos GmbH was awarded Package-2.
The CIAA alleges that both contracts were awarded through collusion in violation of the Public Procurement Act and Public Procurement Regulations.
Among the foreign nationals charged are Gerhard Maurer and Pavle Rakic of Muehlbauer ID Services, along with the company’s local representative Manindra Raj Malla. The CIAA has sought recovery of Rs 1.90 billion from the three accused.
Similarly, Veridos officials Fabiola Bellersheim and Florian Paquellin, as well as the company’s local representative Siddhartha Thapa, have also been charged. The anti-corruption body has sought recovery of Rs 8.22 billion from them.
As part of the investigation, the CIAA had earlier published a public notice asking representatives of both German companies to appear before investigators either physically or virtually.
The e-passport procurement case is one of the largest corruption cases filed in recent years in terms of the amount of alleged financial loss claimed by the anti-graft body.
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