Kathmandu: On Sunday, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) took a significant step in the fight against corruption by filing a case at the Special Court in Kathmandu. The case targets individuals involved in both the solicitation and incitement of bribes within the Department of Passports.
The primary defendant in the case is computer engineer Pradeep Bhattarai, assigned to the identity card section of the Department of Passports, Tripureshwor. Bhattarai is accused of allegedly demanding Rs 34,000 from a service recipient in exchange for expediting the passport-making process.
Additionally, Sumitra Sapkota, known as Sumi Dhami, is implicated in the case for her alleged involvement in inciting bribery. The CIAA asserts that Sapkota collaborated with Bhattarai and deposited the bribe amount into his account.
The corruption case suggests that Pradeep Bhattarai, in his capacity as a computer engineer responsible for facilitating national identity cards, exploited his position by accepting bribes from individuals seeking passport services.
The CIAA has officially registered the case against both Sapkota and Bhattarai, seeking not only a fine of Rs 34,000 but also legal penalties. The charges against them include confirmed involvement in the criminal act of accepting and soliciting bribes, as the anti-corruption body takes measures to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.