Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Special Court has acquitted former additional secretary Dr Sangita Mishra and seven others in a corruption case.
A bench of Special Court Judges Narayan Prasad Paudel and Umesh Koirala acquitted them of the charges of embezzling Rs 140.685 million in the procurement of a mammography machine at the Department of Health Services.
The bench stated that the charges against Mishra, Bivek Kumar Lal, Bhuwan Prasad Kafle, Deepak Adhikari, Yadav Prasad Sapkota, Shambhu Prasad Dhakal, Sita Ghimire and Tilak Ram Dhakal were not substantiated by evidence.
“The accused were involved only to the extent of submitting comments based on documents prepared by relevant technical personnel and in the payment process. Since the allegations against the eight defendants could not be confirmed by evidence, they are acquitted,” the verdict stated.
The bench observed that Dr Mishra, during her tenure as Director General of the Department of Health Services, approved specifications and cost estimates and endorsed payment orders based on documents and recommendations submitted by technical and procurement unit staff.
The bench, however, found several officials, including then-Director of the Management Division under the department, Dr Shravan Kumar Thapa; Senior Health Administrator Surendra Kumar Chaurasia; Biomedical Engineer Ashish Chauhan; Padma Mishra; and Public Health Inspector Sanjay Kumar Shah, guilty.
According to the verdict, they, in collusion with Maxim Traders Incorporation and its promoter, prepared false reports and fabricated invoices.
They have been sentenced to four months in prison each and ordered to pay a combined Rs 3,834,723 as compensation, calculated based on the value of the delayed goods.
Additionally, they have been given a further four-month prison sentence and a fine of Rs 20,000 for submitting false reports. The court also ordered the recovery of Rs 547,817 as government revenue.
Maxim Incorporation Traders and its promoter, Sundar Bhusal, were also found guilty of abetting corruption. He has been sentenced to the same imprisonment and fines as the other convicted individuals.
