KATHMANDU, June 30: The Special Court has ordered the release on bail of five people arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in Nepal's e-passport procurement and printing process.
Following a hearing, the court ordered former Department of Passports Director General Tirtha Raj Aryal to be released on a bail of Rs 500,000. It also set bail at Rs 400,000 for the department's IT Director Sunil Kumar KC.
Former section officer Somesh Thapa and computer engineer Bipin Prasain were each ordered released on Rs 300,000 bail, while Manindra Raj Malla, the Nepal representative of German company Mühlbauer ID Services, was granted bail of Rs 500,000.
The court also ordered the release of former Department of Passports accounts officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya and Raja Ram Dahal, an under-secretary in the legal division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on simple recognizance without requiring bail.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a corruption case against 18 individuals and two foreign companies, accusing them of irregularities in the procurement and printing of e-passports. The anti-graft body has sought recovery of billions of rupees in alleged losses while pursuing corruption charges in the case.
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The case has drawn attention to Nepal's public procurement system, raising concerns over transparency in government decision-making and the role of senior bureaucrats in major state contracts.
Bail amounts ordered by the court:
Tirtha Raj Aryal – Rs 500,000
Sunil Kumar KC – Rs 400,000
Somesh Thapa – Rs 300,000
Bipin Prasain – Rs 300,000
Manindra Raj Malla – Rs 500,000
Tulsi Prasad Acharya – Released on simple recognizance
Raja Ram Dahal – Released on simple recognizance
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