Special Court seeks Rs100,000 bail from former Speaker Mahara in gold smuggling case

Nepal's Special Court has ordered former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara to furnish bail of 100,000 Nepalese rupees in connection with the high-profile vape gold smuggling scandal. The order came after Mahara appeared before a division bench of judges on Monday.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed the corruption case on April 9 against 28 individuals and a company, including Mahara, his son Rahul Mahara, and joint secretary Arun Pokharel. The CIAA alleges that the defendants collaborated with a Chinese smuggling network to import gold concealed within electronic cigarettes. This operation, which began in December 2022, allegedly resulted in a loss of 77.86 million Nepalese rupees, which the commission seeks to recover along with fines and prison sentences for officials involved in customs clearance.

According to the charge sheet, approximately nine kilograms of gold were hidden inside 730 vape devices across 73 boxes, transported from Dubai through Tribhuvan International Airport. Chinese national Li Hansong reportedly carried the consignment, intended for a network led by Daojin Wang. Although customs officials seized the shipment due to suspicion, a significant portion of the gold later disappeared from a sealed warehouse. The CIAA asserts that Mahara and his son repeatedly contacted customs officials, intermediaries, and members of the smuggling network to secure the release of the seized goods. Investigators also allege that the original vape devices containing gold were swapped with ordinary ones through collusion with customs personnel and middlemen.

The case gained public attention after a security guard discovered gold inside a device taken from the warehouse. Initially investigated by the Central Investigation Bureau following a report by airport customs officials about the gold's disappearance in 2023, Mahara, his son, and Pokharel were not initially named. Subsequent investigations by the CIAA led to Mahara being charged with abuse of public office and involvement in organized smuggling.