Kathmandu, Feb. 21 -- Gokul Baskota, the minister for communication and information technology, has resigned following the release of an audio recording of him allegedly negotiating a Rs700 million "commission" with the local agent for a Swiss company, initially published by the portal hamrakura.com.

In the two-and-a-half-minute audio recording, a voice purportedly belonging to Baskota can be heard negotiating with Bijaya Prakash Sharma Mishra, the local agent for a Swiss company vying for a government contract regarding the security printing of passports and other sensitive material.

The Kathmandu Post could not independently verify if the voice in the recording is of Baskota. However, the minister's failure to refute the allegations a...