Nepal Corruption Scandal Verdicts

Special Court sentenced former Executive Director of National Information Technology Center Sunil Paudel and businessman Deepak Anand to 8 years 6 months imprisonment and fines exceeding Rs 15 million each for corruption, with Paudel receiving an additional 6 months for offenses under the Anti-Corruption Act.

Nepal amended the Public Procurement Act 2007 to introduce criminal liabilities for misuse of advance payments, shorten bidding timelines, and replace lowest-price contract awards with an average bid evaluation system to improve fairness and project delivery.

The Special Court commenced hearing a corruption case against suspended Nepal Telecom Managing Director Sunil Poudel regarding illegal property acquisition, with the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority seeking Rs 23.75 crore in claims.

The Special Court acquitted former Nepal Telecom managing director Sunil Paudel and 17 others of corruption charges related to the company's billing system upgrade, dismissing allegations of financial irregularities.

Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai of the CIAA was implicated in multiple corruption scandals, including aircraft procurement and land acquisitions, with judicial criticism over selective prosecution practices.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case against eight pharmacy staff of Civil Service Hospital in Kathmandu for irregularities leading to a public loss of Rs 2.91 crore.

Kathmandu District Court convicted prominent politicians, including former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand, in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam involving fraudulent resettlement and Rs 288 million in illicit gains; sentencing set for July 2026.

The hearing for the fake Bhutanese refugee scam involving Nepali citizens falsely declared as refugees abroad has concluded with the verdict expected soon; key accused include former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and ex-Home Ministers Bal Krishna Khand and Ram Bahadur Thapa's security advisor Indrajit Rai.

Nepal's Public Accounts Committee initiated an investigation into alleged billion-rupee corruption in passport printing, demanding audits and document reviews due to serious national security concerns.

Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case against Gadimai Municipality Mayor Shyam Prasad Yadav and three others for embezzling over Rs 257 million by submitting forged documents to grant mining permits.

Former Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet was acquitted by the Special Court in the Terramax purchase corruption case as his actions were ruled policy decisions without personal gain or malice.

The Special Court convicted former Telecommunications Authority Chairman Digambar Jha and members Dhanraj Gyawali and Tikaprasad Upreti for corruption in the Terramax system procurement, sentencing them to imprisonment and fines.

Special Court sentenced former Telecommunications Authority Chairman Digambar Jha to one year imprisonment and fines, and imposed six months imprisonment and fines on members Dhanraj Gyawali and Tikaprasad Upreti for corruption in Terramax system procurement.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case against Baiju Prasad Gupta, Chairman of Palhinandan Rural Municipality, and his family for illegally amassing over 35 million rupees from 2017 to 2022.

Debate intensifies in Nepal over public disclosure of judges' assets amid calls for transparency and concerns about judicial corruption, contrasting with India's Supreme Court ruling mandating online asset disclosure.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party-led government completed 100 days amidst high-profile arrests including former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other officials as part of ongoing corruption investigations.

Nepali Congress demanded an impartial investigation into corruption in passport printing and accused the government of interfering with constitutional bodies to pressure officials favoring costly suppliers.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed corruption charges against the former acting chief administrative officer of Champadevi Rural Municipality and others over embezzlement linked to Palapu drinking water bank guarantee funds.

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of former Dairy Development Corporation MD Dr. Shatrughna Prasad Sah for illicit wealth accumulation and sentenced him to nine years imprisonment with a fine of approximately 6.824 million rupees.

Nepal's judiciary remains centralized nearly a decade after federalizing the executive and legislative branches; local courts and mediation centers are yet to be established, limiting accessible justice especially in remote areas.

Former Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet and 16 others faced a corruption case hearing over the Terramax technology procurement scandal involving unauthorized decisions at the Nepal Telecommunications Authority.

Special Court granted bail to five individuals involved in the alleged e-passport procurement corruption, including former Department of Passports officials and a company representative, with amounts ranging from Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000; two others were released on recognizance.

Special Court granted bail to suspended Bagmati Municipality Mayor Bharat Kumar Thapa in a revenue leak corruption case involving approximately Rs 58.62 million during pond construction, ordering release on general bail without detention.

The Special Court granted bail ranging from 300,000 to 500,000 rupees to several officials accused in the high-profile e-passport corruption case amid ongoing constitutional and diplomatic controversies.

Nepal Police recovered over Rs 869.81 million in state revenue from mid-May to mid-June 2026, including Rs 413.73 million from customs evasion and smuggling, Rs 234.44 million from court verdicts and fines, and Rs 120.91 million from traffic violations.

The Special Court extended the remand of former Finance Minister and CPN-UML Vice-chair Bishnu Prasad Paudel by three days to continue investigation into money laundering allegations.

The Special Court postponed the corruption case hearing against former Minister Rajkumar Gupta and six others in the Pokhara land deal bribery case due to extended bail deliberations; the case involves alleged bribes totaling 7.8 million rupees.

Nepal's Supreme Court ordered an investigation into losses from Nepal Airlines' Chinese aircraft purchase made nearly 15 years ago, amid allegations of political and administrative corruption.

The Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for June 30 on a habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of CPN-UML Vice-chair Bishnu Prasad Paudel, who was arrested on money laundering charges on June 22.

Germany summoned Nepal's envoy over corruption charges against Veridos related to Nepal's e-passport procurement, warning of legal and financial risks and criticizing the evidence as weak amid ongoing court proceedings.