KATHMANDU: The Special Court has ordered the release of five individuals on bail in connection with the passport printing corruption case involving the Department of Passports.
A bench of judges Narayan Prasad Paudel, Hemanta Rawal, and Umesh Koirala issued the order on Monday following a hearing on whether the accused should be kept in custody during trial proceedings.
Among those granted bail is Director General of the Department of Passports, Tirtha Raj Aryal, who has been ordered to post a bail of Rs 500,000. Similarly, Director Sunil Kumar KC has been released on a bail of Rs 400,000.
Other accused ordered to be released on bail include Section Officer Somesh Thapa and computer engineer Bipin Prasain, each on Rs 300,000 bail, and Nepal agent of the contractor, Manindra Raj Malla, on Rs 500,000 bail.
In addition, the court ordered the release of accounts officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya and under-secretary Rajaram Dahal on general date (regular court attendance) without bail.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case alleging irregularities in the passport printing process, naming 16 individuals and two companies as defendants with a total claim of Rs 10.13 billion.
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