Gold Smuggling Case in Nepal: Former Speaker Mahara Faces Corruption Charges

Former Nepal parliament speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara faces corruption charges for allegedly facilitating a gold smuggling operation through Tribhuvan International Airport, resulting in significant financial losses for the state.

Key Points

Former Nepal parliament speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara is accused of involvement in a gold smuggling operation.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against 28 individuals, including Mahara, related to the smuggling.
The gold was concealed in electronic cigarettes and transported through Tribhuvan International Airport.
The estimated loss to the state due to the gold smuggling is NPR 77.86 million.
The case involves foreign nationals from China, India, and Belgium, along with a travel company.

Nepal's former parliament speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara and joint secretary Arun Pokharel have been named among 28 accused along with a travel company in a case of gold smuggling.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed the corruption case at the Special Court and has named Mahara, his son Rahul Mahara, Pokharel, then customs chief at Tribhuvan International Airport, and others as defendants, accusing them of facilitating the smuggling of gold concealed in electronic cigarettes.

The anti-graft body has estimated the loss to the state at NPR 77.86 million due to the smuggling and is seeking its recovery from the accused.

According to Ganesh Bahadur Adhikari, assistant spokesperson at the CIAA, the defendants include Chinese, Indian and Belgian nationals among others.

Details of the Smuggling Operation

The case came to light on December 25, 2022, when a smuggling network attempted to bring gold hidden inside vape devices from Dubai.

Investigations found that smugglers concealed gold inside 730 vape units packed in 73 boxes and transported them via Tribhuvan International Airport to a customs warehouse. The gold weighed around nine kilograms, but much of it later went missing.

The case names foreign nationals, including Chinese citizens Li Hang Song and Daojing Wang, Belgian national Dawa Tshering, Indian national Saheb Rao Pandurang Margale, and Dexter Travels and Tours Pvt Ltd.

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