KATHMANDU, JULY 1 The German Embassy in Kathmandu on Wednesday dismissed what it described as false or misleading reports regarding Nepal's e-passport procurement controversy, clarifying that Nepal's Chargé d'Affaires in Berlin was invited to a meeting at the German Federal Foreign Office and was not formally summoned. 'It may sound like a small distinction, but in diplomacy, it matters,' it noted. In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the embassy said no protest note or any other document was handed over during the meeting, contrary to reports circulated in recent days. It also denied reports that Germany had warned Nepal of possible consequences depending on the outcome of the ongoing judicial proceedings related to the passport procurement case. 'Germany fully respects the independence of the judiciary. In fact, it is a principle enshrined in our Constitution,' the embassy said, adding that, as a matter of principle, it does not comment on ongoing court proceedings and has not done so in this case. The clarification comes days after reports claimed that the German Federal Foreign Office had summoned Nepal's chargé d'affaires in Berlin to express concerns over corruption charges filed by Nepal's Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) against German firms Veridos GmbH and Muehlbauer in connection with the Department of Passports' e-passport procurement project. The issue has attracted diplomatic attention following the CIAA's filing of corruption cases against former officials of the Department of Passports, representatives, and two companies linked to the procurement process. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister's Secretariat decided not to terminate the contracts with the two German companies immediately and instead allowed them until July 15 to deliver under the existing agreement. The Special Court has also released several accused, including former Department of Passports Director General Tirtha Raj Aryal, on bail, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Passports have maintained that the ongoing rollout of the e-passport system is separate from the issues raised in the CIAA's charges. The German Embassy's statement did not comment on the merits of the corruption case, reiterating only that Germany respects judicial independence and refrains from commenting on ongoing legal proceedings.