Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Monday filed a corruption case against 16 individuals and two institutions in connection with the e-passport procurement case.
Special Court’s information officer, Parbati Hitan, confirmed that the case has been registered. She added that the CIAA has sought to recover Rs 10.13 billion from the defendants.
The anti-graft body’s investigation into the passport procurement process found irregularities amounting to nearly Rs 8 billion.
German firms Veridos and Mühlbauer were awarded the passport printing contracts. Mühlbauer secured a package worth Rs 1.55 billion, while Veridos received a contract worth Rs 6.55 billion.
Previously, the contract had been handled by the French company IDEMIA.
After the German firms won the tender, IDEMIA challenged the decision at the Supreme Court, claiming that the winning bidder did not meet the required qualifications. The case remains sub judice.
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers last week reportedly urged the CIAA to investigate the matter.
Following the investigation, the CIAA detained several officials, including Department of Passports Director General Tirtha Raj Aryal, Information Technology Director Sunil Kumar KC, and former Accounts Officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya, among others.
