Special Court Convicts Former IT Center Executive Director Sunil Poudel and Businessman Deepak Anand in Corruption Case

Kathmandu. The Special Court has convicted former executive director of the National Information Technology Center, Sunil Poudel, and businessman Deepak Anand in a corruption case, sentencing them to jail and fines. The bench comprising Chairman Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and members Hemanta Rawal and Dilliratra Shrestha on Thursday determined the sentence, ordering both individuals to serve 8 years in jail each and pay a fine of Rs 1 crore 54 lakh 25 thousand 200 each. As Sunil Poudel was holding a public post like the executive director of the National Information Technology Center, he has also been sentenced to an additional 6 months in jail as per Section 24 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059. With this, Poudel will have to spend a total of 8 years and 6 months in jail. Similarly, the court has ordered to recover Rs 6 lakh 17 thousand 8 rupees from each of the two defendants and deposit it in the 'Crime Victim Relief Fund'. It has been found that Poudel and Anand agreed to take a bribe (dowry) of Rs 3 crore 8 lakh 50 thousand 400 (US dollars 280,000) at the prevailing exchange rate. Based on the conversation attached to the case file, the court has determined that they demanded the said amount. The court has imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore 54 lakh 25 thousand 200 each, which is half of Rs 3 crore 8 lakh 50 thousand 400. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority had filed a case against them based on the conversation regarding commission and bribery in the process of purchasing software or equipment from foreign companies. Although the bribe amount was not recovered and it was not revealed which bank it was deposited in, the verdict states that they were convicted based on the conversation.