Kathmandu: In a significant development, the Special Court has acquitted all defendants in the Udayapur Cement Industry Limited corruption case. The bench, comprising Special Chairman Teknarayan Kunwar and members Tejnarayan Singh Rai and Ram Bahadur Thapa, delivered the verdict on Thursday, citing a lack of conclusive evidence.

The case, initiated by the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission, named eight individuals, including the industry's general manager, as defendants. Filed on January 10, 2080, the case alleged that their actions had caused a financial loss of over NPR 2.278 million to the industry.

Among those acquitted were the then General Manager Surendra Kumar Paudel, Deputy General Manager Navalkishore Shaha, and Permanent Deputy Director Pawan Kumar Lal Karna. Additionally, former managers Bharat Prasad Nepal, Kamal Raj Paudel, and ninth-level officer Demlal Khanal were also cleared of all charges. Directors Dhruva Bahadur Devkota and Mahesh Prasad Kafle were similarly acquitted.

The accusations centered on alleged corruption during the purchase of a 160 kW Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) for the industry. The investigation claimed that the equipment was procured without proper study, need identification, justification, or cost estimation. Furthermore, it was alleged that the purchased material was of no use, its quality was not tested, and the responsible officials were not remunerated for five years post-purchase, with no support from the general manager.

The Special Court's decision to acquit all parties comes less than five months after the case was filed, marking a swift conclusion to the high-profile investigation.