The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has moved the Special Court against Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Madhu Kumar Marasini and eight others demanding the recovery of around Rs 230m embezzled in the name of a National Payment Gateway about six years ago.  

Other officials facing the charge of committing irregularities to the tune of Rs 230m in the National Payment Gateway scam include the then secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology and chair at National Information Technology Center (NITC) Sanjaya Sharma, then executive director at NITC Pranita Upadhyaya, Nepal Telecom’s managing director Sunil Poudel (then deputy executive director at NITC) and NITC director Safal Shrestha (deputy director at the time of the scam). CIAA has also accused then assistant director at NITC Ramesh Pokharel, then account officer Nim Bahaduar Wali, then account officer at the center Ram Bahadur Budha and engineer at the center Ram Sharan Gayak of involvement in the scam.     

The anti-corruption agency has accused Marasini, then chief at the Ministry of Finance’s Budget and Program Division, of getting around Rs 250m released in the name of the gateway by preparing a faulty estimate and getting it approved despite the absence of infrastructure required for the operation of the gateway by keeping subordinate and superordinate authorities in the dark.

The CIAA unearthed the scam while investigating a complaint regarding irregularities related to the gateway and subsequently moved the court against the nine officials. It has demanded the recovery of around Rs 230.27m from them as per sub-clause 3(1) of clause 17 of Corruption Eradication Act 2059 for causing loss/damage to government property of the government as well as a public enterprise.

The payment gateway, procured six years ago, remains non-functional till date.