Special Court Acquits Max International, Former NITC Officials in Server Procurement Case

Kathmandu. The Special Court has acquitted all defendants in the corruption case filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) over the procurement of servers by the National Information Technology Center (NITC), ruling that the allegations of financial irregularities could not be substantiated.

A bench comprising Special Court Chairperson Sudarshan Dev Bhatt and judges Hemanta Rawal and Dilli Ratna Shrestha delivered the verdict on Monday, clearing Max International Pvt. Ltd., its CEO Akbar Hussain, and former officials of the National Information Technology Center of all corruption charges.

In its summary verdict, the court stated that it found no evidence to prove the allegations made by the CIAA. It concluded that the procurement of RISC and HCI servers under tender IFB No. NITC/G/NCB-6-075/076, issued during the fiscal year 2075/76, was carried out in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, 2063.

The court also relied on an expert inspection report ordered during the proceedings, which confirmed that the servers supplied by Max International had been installed at the designated locations in line with the contract specifications and remain fully operational.

According to the verdict, the supplier also fulfilled its contractual obligations related to installation, configuration, and technical training at the Government Integrated Data Center (GIDC) and Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). The court noted that certified trainers from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) conducted on-site training for the required number of technicians, with records documenting the trainers, participants, and training duration.

Given that the equipment was found to be functional and of satisfactory quality, and that the supplier had provided the agreed warranty and support services, the court concluded that the corruption allegations could not be established.

CIAA's Allegations

The CIAA had filed the corruption case on May 19, 2025, alleging that the NITC server procurement process was manipulated and that the government paid significantly more than the market price for the equipment.

According to the charge sheet, the center had estimated the procurement cost at Rs 262.95 million. The CIAA alleged that Max International received Rs 26.5 million (excluding VAT) for installation and training, and Rs 31.4 million (excluding VAT) for a three-year warranty and on-site support.

The anti-graft body claimed that unnecessary items and services were included in the contract, causing a loss of approximately Rs 57.9 million to the state and providing illegal financial benefits to those involved.

The CIAA further alleged that BancTec Pte Ltd of Singapore, which supplied equipment to Max International, transferred USD 79,640 to the Singapore bank account of then NITC Executive Director Sunil Paudel in 2019.

Those acquitted include Max International Pvt. Ltd., its CEO Akbar Hussain, former Executive Director of NITC Sunil Paudel, former Assistant Director of NITC Ramesh Pokharel, Computer Engineer at NITC Ram Sharan Gayak, and former Accounts Officer at NITC Nim Bahadur Oli.

The Special Court said the detailed written judgment will be released after the full verdict is prepared.

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: असार ३१, २०८३ १२:४५