KATHMANDU: Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Vice-Chair of the CPN-Maoist Centre, who was arrested in connection with the gold smuggling case involving e-cigarettes (vapes), was produced in court on Monday.
Mahara was apprehended by a team from Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Kathmandu on Sunday, and brought to court to proceed with the related case.
Earlier, Mahara had appeared at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Thursday to give a statement.
He is accused of collaborating with a Chinese organized group to smuggle gold hidden inside electronic cigarettes. The investigation was revived by the interim government, just three days after his CIAA statement.
Mahara had previously been arrested during the tenure of then-Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane but was released on bail citing health reasons, with CPN-Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” serving as Prime Minister at the time. The case relates to gold smuggling conducted three years ago, which was previously investigated by the CIAA.
Despite being implicated in the case in 2079 BS, Mahara remained largely outside the reach of authorities due to political influence. His son Rahul is also under investigation in connection with the same case.
Investigations revealed contact between Mahara and Chinese smuggler Daojin Wang on Poush 10, 2079 BS, regarding the import of 9 kilograms of gold hidden in vapes from Dubai. Mahara has admitted to having connections with the smuggler and claimed that his involvement was limited to facilitating the release of the seized goods.
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