CIAA files corruption case against Security Printing Center Chief and eight others

Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against Bikal Poudel, executive director of Security Printing Center, and eight others at the Special Court.

Issuing a press statement, the anti-graft body said that a chargesheet has been filed against the accused individuals on Sunday at the Special Court as per sections 36 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002 and sections 18 and 35 of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act, 1991.

Along with Executive Director Poudel, CIAA has charge-sheeted Senior Divisional Engineer (Mechanical) Nabin Kumar Pkoharel, Deputy Director Ramesh Prasad Pokharel, Section Officer Manik Man Maharjan, Account Officer Ram Bahadur Budha and Section Officer Sirish Upadhhaya.

Likewise, CIAA has also charge-sheeted Rohit Man Pradhan, Bhuvan Maharjan and Mitralal Gurau of vendor companies.

Earlier, the Ministry of Finance refused to allocate funds for the controversial plan to establish a security printing press, the first of its kind in Nepal.

The project was long in controversy due to charges of corruption. In February 2020, an audiotape leaked out, in which the then communications minister Gokul Baskota had demanded Rs 740 million commission from the agent of a Swiss company, KBA-Notasys, to give his side a contract to establish a security printing press in Nepal. The controversy had cost Baskota his ministerial job.

Later, the government awarded the contract to import and install the security printing press to the second-lowest bidder, not the lowest one, raising eyebrows.

The government plans to print postal stamps, excise duty stickers, and academic credentials with the machine. Once the machine comes into operation, it can save Rs 9 billion every year, claims the government.