Nepal to wait until July 19 before deciding on German passport deal
Summary
Nepal's government will wait until July 19 to decide on continuing with German firms Veridos and Muhlbauer for biometric passports amid corruption cases and doubts over delivery timelines.
Key Points
- The Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs disagree on German firms' capacity to begin biometric passport operations by July 19.
- Corruption cases have been filed against Department of Passports officials and representatives of Veridos and Muhlbauer, with some arrests made.
- The government currently meets only half the daily passport demand from its existing 38,000 passport stock.
- Government agencies agreed to wait until the contract deadline before deciding on further actions regarding the passport procurement.
