Kathmandu, June 23 -- graft body, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), has filed a corruption case against 18 defendants, including the Director General of the Department of Passports Tirtha Raj Aryal, over alleged irregularities in the procurement of e-passports.

The case, filed on Monday at the Special Court, names 10 government officials, two German companies that were awarded the passport printing contract, four executives of the two companies, and two Nepal-based representatives. The constitutional anti-graft body has sought recovery of Rs10.13 billion, along with fines and prison terms for the accused.

According to CIAA spokesperson Suresh Neupane, investigators found that officials and representative...