Nepal's anti-graft body files cases against commerce secy, 8 others

Nepal's anti-graft body has filed cases against nine persons, including industry and commerce secretary and chief of the state-run Nepal Telecom, for their alleged involvement in misappropriation of multi-million dollars while procuring software for the National Payment Gateway.

NPG is a common platform that integrates various online payment systems, including private mobile wallets and financial transactions of the government.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Monday filed corruption cases against Industry and Commerce secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini, Nepal Telecom Managing Director Sunil Paudel, National Information Technology Centre (NITC) Chairman Sanjay Sharma, NITC deputy director Safal Shrestha and five other individuals at a special court for embezzlement of NPR 232.70 million (approx INR 14.45 crore/USD 17,37,855) while procuring the software, the anti-graft body said in a press statement on Monday.

The other individuals are former NITC executive director Pranita Upadhyaya, former assistant director Ramesh Prasad Pokharel, former computer engineer Ram Sharan Gayak, and former accounts officers Nim Bahadur Oli and Ram Bahadur Budha.

The CIAA said they were chargesheeted for corruption and causing losses totalling Rs 232.75 million to the national treasury by their purchase of the software of National Payment Gateway in 2018 without following due process and with poor preparation. The system, as a result, remains unused to this day.

As per Nepal's Corruption Prevention Act, any public official charged with corruption is automatically suspended from the post following their prosecution by the anti-graft body.

The CIAA has sought to recoup the embezzled amount besides the fines equal to the embezzled amount. If convicted, the defendants will also face jail term, according to a report in The Himalayan Times newspaper.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)