Pradeep Pariyar, then chief administrative officer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), and six others have been acquitted in a corruption case.
A bench of Special Court Judges Narayan Prasad Paudel, Hemanta Rawal, and Umesh Koirala acquitted the seven on Tuesday.
Other officials acquitted by the court include KMC Directors Rabin Man Shrestha, Shivaraj Adhikari, Basanta Acharya, and Namaraj Dhakal, as well as Assistant Director Uttam Dahal and Engineer Janardan Giri.
On June 11, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a case at the Special Court against Pariyar and six other officials, accusing them of causing loss to public property through corrupt practices.
It had sought Rs 43.17 million in damages from them.
The CIAA had accused them of committing corruption by awarding the contract for sewer construction work along the Samakhusi corridor from Basundhara to Mhepi at a price higher than the bid amount.
Two companies – Samanantar Nirman Sewa Pvt Ltd and Kalpavriksha-Kohinoor JV – had bid for the sewer construction contract. Samanantar had submitted a lower bid, while Kalpavriksha-Kohinoor had bid higher.
A complaint was filed alleging that the contract was awarded to Kalpavriksha-Kohinoor JV, which had submitted a higher bid.
Pariyar, a joint secretary of the Nepal government, was serving as the director general of the Department of Information and Broadcasting when the corruption case was registered against him.
