KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 18

The Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament today concluded that Omni Group was involved in irregularities while procuring medical equipment and supplies.

The PAC also decided to ask the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to probe the matter.

The government had signed a deal with Omni Group to procure medical supplies — personal protective equipment, reagents and other medical equipment — from China for testing and treating the coronavirus and preventing its spread. The PAC has found anomalies in the procurement process and concluded that the deal with Omni Group was illegal.

Making a decision today after much investigation and studies, the committee said the medical supply procurement deal with Omni Group was illegal and anomalies existed. The PAC has therefore decided to write to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to probe into the matter, investigate and punish those involved in the case.

“The CIAA will probe the matter and find out what kinds of irregularities took place in the procurement process. A letter asking CIAA to probe the matter will be sent on Sunday,” said Roj Nath Pandey, PAC secretary.

Earlier, the government had purchased medical equipment and kits from Omni Group at exorbitant price raising suspicions about the entire procurement process. It was also revealed that coronavirus test kits worth almost Rs 70 million that the government purchased from China did not meet the World Health Organisation standards.

The government later scrapped the contract with Omni Group ‘for failing to supply the promised equipment in time’. The government’s decision to scrap the Rs 340 million contract came at a time when questions were being raised about the process of procuring medical equipment and the standard of testing kits. The government then entrusted the Nepali Army to procure equipment.