KATHMANDU, Aug 24: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court (SC) against the Special Court’s acquittal of former Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal and other defendants in the case of printing inland revenue stickers at the Security Printing Center.
The anti-graft body argued that the Special Court’s decision in the case, which involves a claimed loss of over Rs 386.7 million, was flawed and that the defendants should be punished according to the charges.
On Sunday, the CIAA submitted the appeal in the SC, claiming that Dr Aryal, along with 12 other defendants, intentionally caused loss to public property while serving as Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
CIAA challenges Special Court's acquittal in corruption case in...
Under the Corruption Control Act, 2059 BS, the case had sought to impose Rs 386,717,640 in damages along with imprisonment and fines.
However, the Special Court, in its verdict on November 28, 2024, found some defendants partially guilty but acquitted the majority including Dr Aryal. Unhappy with the ruling, the CIAA filed the appeal.
The appeal specifically challenges Dr Aryal’s acquittal, stating that as chairman of the Security Printing Development Committee, he failed to prevent illegal procurement, approved unauthorized procurement plans and had a malicious relationship with Executive Director Bikal Paudel, resulting in losses to the state.
The appeal also claims that Dr Aryal’s statement that he had no knowledge of the procurement process is false and misleading, and that the verdict ignored the existence of a criminal conspiracy, making it flawed.
