Passport Printing Irregularity Case: Director General Tirtharaj Aryal and Seven Others Undergoing Trial

Kathmandu. The statement of Director General of the Department of Passports, Tirtharaj Aryal, and seven others has begun in the Special Court in connection with the e-passport printing irregularity case. The statement of Aryal and seven others, who were presented in court, has started in the bench of Special Court judges Narayan Prasad Poudel, Hemant Rawal, and Umesh Koirala.

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Monday presented the Director General of the Department, Aryal, Director Sunil Kumar KC, former Accounts Officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya, former Section Officer Somesh Thapa, Computer Engineer Vipin Prasai, former Deputy Secretary (Law) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rajaram Dahal, and Nepal representative of German company Mulhbaur, Munindra Raj Malla, in court in connection with the passport printing case. If the statements of the seven people presented in court are completed today, a hearing on detention will be held.

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority had registered a case on Monday, determining that more than 10 billion 13 crore rupees were embezzled in the e-passport printing case. The commission has concluded that state has suffered billions in losses due to collusion between government officials and representatives of foreign companies in the two packages of tenders called by the department. 

The commission had filed a case against the Department's Director General Tirtharaj Aryal, Director (Information Technology) Sunil Kumar KC, former Director Shatrudhwan Prasad Sharma Pokharel, former Director Rabindra Rajbhandari, former Accounts Officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya, Computer Engineer Vipin Prasai, former Section Officer Somesh Thapa, former Deputy Secretary (Law) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rajaram Dahal, former Deputy Secretary (Accounts) Bhesh Prasad Bhurtel, former Deputy Secretary (Law) Pushkarraj Nepal, setting a claim of 10 billion 13 crore 4 lakh 61 thousand 477 rupees and 01 paisa as the principal amount.

Similarly, Mulhbaur Company and representatives Gerhard Maurer, Pavle Rakic, and Manindra Raj Malla have been sued with a claim of 1 billion 90 crore 69 lakh 57 thousand 32 rupees and 62 paisa as the principal amount. Similarly, Veridos and representatives Fabiola Belleshem, Florian Pakulin, and Siddharth Thapa have been sued with a claim of 8 billion 22 crore 35 lakh 4 thousand 4 hundred 44 rupees and 39 paisa as the principal amount, along with demands for imprisonment equivalent to the main culprits, fines equivalent to the principal amount, and recovery of 18 crore 44 lakh rupees.