Nepal Files Historic Corruption Case Against Chief Secretary and Others

Nepal Files Historic Corruption Case Against Chief Secretary and Others (Image: Nepal PMO)

Dil Bar Irshad | June 23, 2024 | 11:15 PM IST | Nepal, World | Follow on Google News

Nepal Files Historic Corruption Case Against Chief Secretary and Others

Nepal Files Historic Corruption Case Against Chief Secretary and Others

Key Highlights:

1. Nepal’s anti-graft body files a corruption case against Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal and 10 others for embezzling NRs 386.7 million during the printing of excise duty stickers.
2. This marks the first corruption case against a sitting Chief Secretary in Nepal’s history.
3. The case also involves several other government officials and a private company, Print Cell Pvt Ltd, accused of signing an overpriced contract.

Kathmandu [Nepal], June 23: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Nepal’s anti-graft body, has filed a landmark corruption case against Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal and 10 others regarding alleged embezzlement during the printing of excise duty stickers. The CIAA claims that NRs 386.7 million was embezzled by Aryal, along with 10 individuals and a company.

On Sunday afternoon, CIAA officials submitted nearly a dozen files to the Special Court, marking the first-ever corruption case against a sitting Chief Secretary in Nepali history. Aryal, now on the run, has been suspended from his post following the filing.

Along with Aryal, Joint Secretaries Ritesh Shakya and Tanka Pandey, Under-Secretary Ganesh Bikram Shahi, and Section Officer Rabindra Paudel have been named as defendants. The case also targets the former executive director of the Security Printing Centre Bikal Paudel, former accounts officer Bishnu Prasad Gautam, former section officer Harivallabh Ghimire, consultant Shakti Prasad Shrestha, and director of the National Information Technology Centre Safal Shrestha. Print Cell Pvt Ltd and its proprietor Keshav Sharma are also defendants.

The CIAA demands the recovery of the embezzled amount and an additional NRs 68.44 million already paid for printing stickers. The Security Printing Centre under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had tendered for printing excise duty stickers for the Inland Revenue Department on September 20, 2022. Print Cell Pvt Ltd won the contract on December 12, agreeing to print 433.2 million stickers at 89 paise per piece, a significant increase from the previous rate of 25 paise.

The contract was granted under dubious terms, with Print Cell agreeing only to purchase sticker paper and ink, while the remaining work was to be done by the Centre, leading to an abnormal price hike. Aryal, serving as Communications Secretary from August 2021 to March 2023, played a key role in these decisions.

The Chief Secretary is also under investigation for alleged involvement in the Teramox telecommunications traffic monitoring and fraud control system purchase.

(Inputs from Nepal’s Local Media)

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.