Special Court Grants Four-Day Remand for Passport Department Chief, Director in Corruption Probe

Kathmandu. The Special Court has granted permission to keep Passport Department Director General Tirtha Raj Aryal and Information Technology Director Sunil Kumar KC in custody for four days as part of an ongoing corruption investigation linked to passport printing.

A bench comprising Special Court Chairperson Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and members Umesh Koirala and Bidur Koirala issued the order, allowing investigators to detain the two officials from June 15.

According to Special Court spokesperson Krishna Sharan Lamichhane, the remand was approved to facilitate an investigation into alleged irregularities in passport printing and related corruption offenses.

“The Commission had requested 20 days of custody for investigation,” Lamichhane told Techpana. “However, the court has granted four days for the initial investigation.”

Aryal and KC, who is associated with the department’s information technology division, were taken into custody by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) over allegations of corruption in the passport printing process.

The anti-graft body is also investigating other senior officials and representatives of the contractor company involved in the passport printing project, according to sources familiar with the case.

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: असार ३, २०८३ ११:३३