Corruption Trial Begins Against Former National Information Technology Center Executive Director and Five Others

The hearing has commenced at the Special Court in the corruption case against six individuals, including the former Executive Director of the National Information Technology Center, Sunil Paudel. The hearing is being conducted by a bench comprising Special Court Chairman Sudarshan Bhatta and Judges Hemanta Rawal and Umesh Koirala.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed the corruption case naming the former Executive Director of the IT Center and five others, along with World Distribution Nepal Pvt. Ltd., as defendants. The case was filed on allegations that the state incurred a loss of NPR 158.85 million due to collusion in the procurement of 'High Computer Infrastructure' for the IT Center, resulting in the supply of substandard materials.

The CIAA filed the corruption case against Paudel, along with 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. The accusation against Paudel and others is that they committed corruption in fiscal year 076-77 by installing processors with lower specifications than those mentioned in the tender published by the center.

They are accused of corruption by taking and giving payments amounting to NPR 158.8 million after supplying storage with substandard processors for the supply, delivery, installation, and operation of the infrastructure. For the procurement of high computer infrastructure, they prepared a cost estimate of 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 contrary to the stipulated conditions and standards, and subsequently made payments based on false documents. Since Paudel held a public office, a claim for additional penalty has also been sought against him.