Passport procurement scam: Corruption case filed against Arzu Rana & 18 others
The case was filed on Monday at the Special Court, according to court information officer Parbati Hitan.
KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against former Foreign Minister and Nepali Congress leader Arzu Rana Deuba along with 17 others over alleged irregularities in the e-passport procurement contract.
The case was filed on Monday at the Special Court, according to court information officer Parbati Hitan.
The accused include then Director General of the Department of Passports, Teertharaj Aryal, IT Director Sunil Kumar K.C., and then Accounts Officer Tulsi Prasad Acharya, among others.
The CIAA alleges irregularities in the e-passport contract awarded to German firms Veridos GmbH and Muehlbauer Group.
The contract, signed on June 6, 2025, covered the production of passport booklets, data management, personalization, quality control, and packaging of passports.
Under the agreement, the companies were required to deliver the first batch of passports within 240 days and also establish personalization centers across 77 districts and Nepali diplomatic missions abroad for distribution and data migration.
The CIAA further noted that the procurement process was initiated during a transitional period after the contract with previous supplier IDEMIA was set to expire in December.
The case is currently under proceedings at the Special Court.
