Special Court to Hear Corruption Case Against Former Security Printing Center Chief Bikal Paudel

Kathmandu. A hearing has been scheduled at the Special Court regarding the corruption case involving illegal wealth accumulation against Bikal Paudel, the former Executive Director of the Security Printing Center. The case is set to be heard by a bench comprising Special Court Chairman Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and members Hemant Rawal and Umesh Koirala.

On २०८१ जेठ ९, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a corruption case against Paudel, accusing him of amassing illegal assets worth 621,918,684.29 rupees.

The commission alleged that Paudel hid funds in Singapore and the United States under the name of his wife, Alina Basnet. The CIAA claims that Paudel accepted commissions from suppliers and funneled the money through various individuals.

The commission asserts that the funds deposited in Paudel's accounts at the United Overseas Bank in Singapore and Bank of America in the United States were also proceeds of corruption. Paudel served as the Executive Director of the Security Printing Center for approximately five years, having previously worked as an engineer at the National Information Technology Center.

The CIAA alleges that Paudel accepted bribes from foreign companies involved in contracts with the Security Printing Center. The commission claims that 289.5 million rupees were collected in Bikal Paudel's name in Singapore alone.

At the time, he had prepared documents claiming he was appointed as a consultant for Singapore-based companies Bankotec and Instasafe. It was discovered that 24.4 million rupees were paid solely in the names of Tahir Shah, Akbar Hussain, Manoj Karki, and Richa Khanal.

The CIAA claims he hid 21.4 million dollars in a U.S. bank after striking a deal with an individual named Prashantji. The commission further alleges he hid 130 million rupees in the U.S. alone. He is also accused of purchasing land in areas like Mahakal and Chhaling under the names of family members by falsely claiming a partition of ancestral property.

He purchased a house in New York, USA, for 515,000 dollars in the name of his wife, Alina Basnet. The CIAA has named Bikal Paudel, his wife Alina Basnet, his father Dharma Prasad Sharma Paudel, and his mother Sheetal Paudel as defendants for the purpose of asset forfeiture. The commission has also demanded the confiscation of assets held in foreign banks.

While the investigation revealed that Bikal Paudel embezzled 621.9 million rupees, only 445.2 million rupees were recovered; consequently, the commission has demanded the forfeiture of the remaining 176.6 million rupees worth of hidden assets.