Department of Passports Advances Supply Process Amid Ongoing Corruption Case

Kathmandu. The Department of Passports has advanced the passport supply process even while a case is under consideration in the Special Court. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority had filed a case in the Special Court on suspicion of irregularities in passport supply. The commission had arrested Director General of the Department, Tirtharaj Aryal, and seven others, alleging irregularities in the passport procurement process. At the direction of the Prime Minister's Office, those arrested were released on bail on Jestha 15th, as per the court's order.

Following their release, the Department of Passports has advanced the passport supply process. The Prime Minister's Office was preparing to remove the German company due to alleged irregularities in passports and hand over the supply to another company. For this, the Prime Minister's Office had also spoken with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the contract with the German company is still valid and insisted on continuing supply with the same company. The German company's contract is valid until Shrawan 3rd. The ministry's stance was that if the company does not perform by then, alternative options would be considered.

Based on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' recommendation, the Department of Passports has advanced the passport supply process. The department had informed through a notice on Jestha 19th that the data migration and system upgrade work has been completed and passport services will be fully operational under the new system from Ashadh 29th. The department has stated that the initial three months after the implementation of the new system will be considered a stabilization period, during which some technical errors may occur or there might be some delays in service delivery.

Deepak Banjade, Director and Spokesperson of the Department of Passports, stated that they are proceeding based on legal consultation. He said, 'No one has told us to stop or continue the work. We are proceeding with this task as part of the department's regular work. Whatever decision comes tomorrow according to the law will be acceptable to the department.'

Banjade stated that the work should not be stopped due to the ongoing case. 'We have only continued our regular work,' he said, 'We are proceeding with the work in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.'

The department has a very limited stock of passports. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government is serious about sensitive issues like passports, which is why this process is being advanced. 'There is no situation to wait for the case. The court will do its work, and its decision must be respected, but there is no question of stopping the work before that,' he said.

The Department of Passports awarded the contract for the supply of electronic passports to two German companies, Veridos GmbH and Mühlbauer, on Jestha 23, 2082. The contract was for five years. The contract stipulated the commencement of new passport distribution from Falgun, 2082, but the company failed to start distributing passports within the stipulated time.

The government has extended the deadline until Shrawan 3rd. Meanwhile, a case is ongoing in the Special Court alleging irregularities in passport printing.

The department has completed the final preparations for the implementation of the new passport production and management system. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that as part of this process, considered the biggest technical system change in Nepal's history, the personal details of approximately one crore Nepali citizens held by the department are being transferred to the new system (data migration).

On Falgun 28, 2082, the department issued a notice stating that there might be short-term service disruptions during the system change and urged those who need passports within the next six months to apply immediately.

In preparation for this, the passport system and distribution have been put on a quota system for some time as new passport distribution is about to begin through the new system.

During the transition from one system to another, passport services will be suspended from Ashadh 24th to 26th at Nepali missions abroad, district administration offices, and local administrative offices. Similarly, the Department of Passports in Kathmandu will have its services disrupted on Ashadh 25th and 26th.