The Special Court has sentenced Bikal Paudel, the then executive director of the Security Printing Center, to imprisonment for eight years in a corruption case.
A bench of Special Court Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar and members Tulsi Prasad Tharu and Ritendra Thapa on Thursday slapped a jail term of eight years along with a fine of Rs 34.22 million on Paudel and Safal Shrestha, the then director of the National Information Technology Center. The court also ordered recovery of an amount equal to the fine in claims from each.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a corruption case against 12 people including the then chief secretary Baikuntha Aryal, Paudel, and Shrestha, accusing them of committing irregularities while purchasing excise duty stickers. The constitutional anti-graft body had sought claims of Rs 386.72 million from the defendants.
The court had ruled Paudel and Shrestha guilty on October 30 and set the sentencing hearing for November 28 (Thursday).
The court had, however, acquitted Aryal in the case.
The other defendants in the case were Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Ritesh Kumar Shakya, Deputy Director General of the Department of Customs Tanka Prasad Pandey, then director of the Inland Revenue Department Ganesh Bikram Shahi, Rabindra Paudel, accounts officer Bishnu Prasad Gautam, section officer at the Security Printing Center Hari Ballabh Paudel, procurement consultant Shakti Prasad Shrestha, Print Cell Private Limited and its director Keshav Sharma.
The court had, however, acquitted Aryal in the case.
