Graft case filed against 12 people including Chief Secretary Aryal

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a corruption case against high-ranking officials including Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal.

The anti-corruption watchdog today filed a charge sheet at the Special Court against 12 persons including Chief Secretary Aryal for their alleged involvement in carrying out irregularities in the printing of excise duty stickers.

Along with Chief Secretary Aryal, Budget Division Head at the Finance Ministry Ritesh Shakya, Deputy Director General of Customs Department Tank Pandey, then Executive Director of Surakshan Printing Center Vikal Poudel have been named as defendants in the case.

Similarly, Deputy Secretary Ganesh Vikram Shahi, Branch Officer Rabindra Prasad Paudel, then Accounts Officer Bishnu Prasad Gautam, then Branch Officer Hariballab Ghimire have also been made defendants in the printing of excise duty stickers’ case.

The Authority has demanded Rs 386 million in recovery from each of those involved in corruption, according to Dhan Bahadur Karki, Spokesperson at Special Court.

The CIAA said that a corruption case has been filed against Shakti Prasad Shrestha, the procurement consultant of Surakshan Kendra and Keshav Sharma, the owner of Printcell Pvt.

Likewise, the Printcell has also been made a defendant in the case.

Chief Secretary Aryal has been suspended with the filing of the case.

The Security Printing Center under the Ministry of Communications had called for a tender to print excise duty stickers for the Internal Revenue Department on September 20, 2022.

Printcell Pvt Ltd won the contract for printing excise duty stickers on December 12, 2022.

Chief Secretary Aryal was the Communication Secretary at the time, and Vikal Paude was the Executive Director of the Security Printing Center.

Earlier, the Authority had filed a corruption case against Paudel in the Security Printing Press. The Kathmandu Special Court has found Paudel guilty in the case.

Aryal was the Communications Secretary from August 9, 2021, to March 28, 2023.  Aryal, who was transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office, became the Chief Secretary on June 15.