Nepal's anti-corruption body filed a case against two German companies and 16 people, including government officials and company executives, in an electronic passport printing scam involving alleged losses of NRs 1,013 crores.
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Monday named 10 government officials, two German companies and four executives of those companies, along with two Nepal-based representatives as defendants, CIAA spokesperson Suresh Neupane said.
The two German companies are Muehlbauer ID Services and Veridos GmbH, which were contracted to print the e-passports.
Director General of the Department of Passport under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tirtha Raj Aryal, is among the 10 government officials named as defendants in the case.
Two top officials of the passport department, including Aryal, were arrested last week and granted four days of judicial custody for investigation into alleged corruption charges.
According to the CIAA, the accused manipulated technical and financial evaluations of the contract, made improper recommendations and decisions, and signed contracts breaching legal provisions, causing losses of NRs 1,013 crores to the state.
The anti-graft body has now sought NRs 1,013 crores in compensation along with fines and prison terms for the accused, Neupane said.
The case comes after the CIAA last week issued a letter calling former Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba for questioning regarding the e-passport scam.
However, Deuba, the spouse of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, could not appear before the CIAA as the couple is reportedly in Hong Kong for medical examinations.
