CIAA Files Corruption Case Against 20 Individuals Over MDMS Procurement Irregularities

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has lodged a corruption case against 20 individuals regarding irregularities in the acquisition of the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS).

Notable figures among the accused include former Chairman of the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA), Digambar Jha, and current Directors Dipesh Acharya, Surendra Hada, and Achutanand Mishra. Additionally, Deputy Directors from various branches of the NTA, such as Suresh Basnet and Rewati Ram Pant, have been implicated in this case.

The legal action, filed at the special court, seeks compensation totaling Rs 919.9 million from the defendants. The MDMS procurement initiative, initially intended to combat tax evasion associated with mobile devices smuggled into Nepal, was slated for implementation following a governmental allocation in the annual budget of Fiscal Year 2014/15. However, delays pushed the execution to 2018. Critically, the adoption of a controversial regulation for MDMS procurement by the NTA, flagged by an investigative committee under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, has led to accusations of severe negligence and dereliction of duty against the implicated parties.

Despite an anticipated completion timeframe of approximately six months, as indicated by the investigation committee, the project remains significantly unfinished. The disparity between the projected and actual progress of the MDMS implementation underscores the seriousness of the allegations.