Corruption Case Against Former National Information Technology Center Executive Director and Five Others Set for Hearing

The corruption case against six individuals, including the former Executive Director of the National Information Technology Center, Sunil Paudel, has been scheduled for a hearing at the Special Court. The hearing is set before the bench comprising Special Court Chairman Sudarshan Bhatta and Hemanta Rawal.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a corruption case against the former Executive Director and five others, alleging they caused a loss of NPR 158.85 million to the state by colluding to supply substandard materials during the procurement of 'High Compute Infrastructure' for the center.

The CIAA had filed the case against Paudel, former Director Safal Shrestha, Assistant Director Ramesh Pokhrel, Computer Engineer Ramsharan Gayak, Accounts Officer Nim Bahadur Wali, and Arun Shrestha, Chairman of World Distribution Nepal. Paudel and others are accused of corruption by installing processors with lower capacity than specified in the tender published by the center in the fiscal year 076/77.

They are accused of corruption by taking and giving payments amounting to NPR 158.85 million after supplying storage with substandard processors for the supply, delivery, installation, and operation of the infrastructure. They had estimated the cost for the high computer infrastructure procurement at NPR 309.9 million and approved a tender worth NPR 306.5 million including VAT on Magh 15, 2076.

The CIAA alleges that Paudel and the other defendants colluded with the supplier company to maliciously allow the supply of substandard materials against the stipulated conditions and standards, and made payments based on forged documents. Since Paudel held a public office, a demand for additional penalty has also been made against him.