In 2020, an audio tape went viral which allegedly feature minister Gokul Baskota negotiating Rs700 million commission for printing contract.
2020 Feb 20: News portal www.hamrokura.com published a leaked audio recording with a transcript which feature minister for communication and information technology Gokul Baksota negotiating commission of Rs 70 Karod (aprox USD 5.5 million) with Bijaya Prakash Sharma Mishra, the local agent of a Swiss company vying for a government contract regarding security printing of passports and other sensitive material.
Influential CPN UML leader Baskota was minister in KP oli cabinet at that time. The government had signed a MoU with France in March 2019 for the passport printing. However, the application process was scrapped at the last minute, reportedly on direct orders from PM KP Oli.
The primary opposition Nepali Congress Party called for Baskota's removal and an investigation into the allegations.