Mahara held in connection to gold smuggling case

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Oct. 13: Former speaker of the House and leader of CPN-Maoist Centre, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, has been arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police.

The arrest comes in connection with an alleged gold smuggling case involving imported vaping devices or electric cigarettes.

Mahara had recently provided a statement to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) regarding the case. Previously, the CIB had not filed formal charges against him.

Following the formation of the interim government, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal had indicated that politically stalled cases would finally see a ‘breakthrough.’

The case traces back to December 25, 2022, when Chinese national Li Hansong arrived in Nepal by a Fly Dubai flight. He reportedly concealed gold within 730 vaping devices packed across two suitcases, which were then smuggled into the country through Tribhuvan International Airport. Mahara is alleged to have been involved in facilitating the illegal import.

According to a statement issued by Senior Superintendent of Police and Spokesperson for the CIB Shiva Kumar Shrestha, the seized vapes contained gold worth Rs. 85.5 million. 

According to the press release, on December 25, 2022, Chinese citizen Li Hansong, who arrived in Nepal via Fly Dubai flight No. FZ0587, was bringing gold into Nepal through Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, illegally, at which point the said gold was seized. 

It has been stated that the gold was sold through Customs Office non-gazetted officer Rewanta Khadka, and it was noticed that a group was formed to gain profit in an organised manner, due to which Mahara was arrested. The CIB has accused Mahara of customs evasion and organised crime, alleging that he and his associates sold the smuggled gold through Revenue Department officials to gain illicit profit.