The Cabinet has revoked the decision to hand over the contract of authenticating personal and biological details of citizens acquiring the national identity card to a foreign company.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane had awarded the contract to Advantage International through fast track when he was the home minister. The Cabinet meeting on Monday has revoked the decision, according to a minister.
The decision has been revoked as the Home Ministry did not consult and seek permission from the Law Ministry and the Finance Ministry while awarding the contract, and it was not awarded as per the laws and regulations, according to the minister.
“Everything should be considered while handing over responsibility for a sensitive issue related to the national security to a foreign company but that was not found to have been done. That decision has been revoked as the Law Ministry and the Finance Ministry were not consulted and the laws were not followed apart from that.”
The minister added that the issued would also be investigated.
Lamichhane had issued a working procedure allowing invitation of bids for the contract giving a seven-day deadline just two days after being sworn in as home minister which is against Clause 14 of the Public Procurement Act which requires a 45-day deadline while inviting bids for an international tender. The law requires 15-day extension at first and then a seven-day extension if no bids are received during the period.
The company was awarded the contract on January 26. The Supreme Court (SC) the next day had ruled that Lamichhane was ineligible to become a lawmaker as he did not complete the process to re-acquire his citizenship certificate that became invalid after he acquired US citizenship. Lamichhane had resigned as deputy prime minister and home minister the same day.
