Kathmandu, June 25 — The statements of seven defendants who were presented before the court in connection with a case alleging irregularities in the electronic passport printing process have been completed at the Special Court. Detention hearings to determine whether the accused will be held in custody pending trial are set to commence on Thursday.
According to Parvati Hitan, Information Officer of the Special Court, the statements of all seven defendants presented along with the case have been concluded, and the hearing process is now proceeding to arguments. While the statements of three defendants were recorded on Tuesday, the remaining four completed their statements on Wednesday.
Although the case names a total of 18 defendants, including two companies, only seven individuals have been presented before the court in connection with the filing. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) submitted the case against the following individuals: Tirtha Raj Aryal, Director General of the Department of Passports; Director Sunil Kumar KC; former Accounts Officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya; Computer Engineer Bipin Prasai; former Section Officer Somesh Thapa; former Under-Secretary (Legal) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rajaram Dahal; and Manindra Raj Malla, the Nepal representative of the German company awarded the passport printing contract.
The CIAA filed the corruption case on Monday, seeking recovery of NPR 10.13 billion (Rs. 10,130,461,477) as alleged financial loss. The case also names six additional individuals, including representatives of two German companies operating in Nepal, as defendants. The amount of alleged liability varies among the accused.
