KATHMANDU: Electric vehicles imported through the Mustang border have been found to be compliant with customs regulations, while irregularities have been identified in the clearance process at Rasuwagadhi customs, according to the Department of Customs.
In a statement issued on Friday, the department said a monitoring team deployed at the Mustang Customs Office reported that 649 electric vehicles had entered Nepal in accordance with prevailing laws. The vehicles had reportedly entered the country on May 28.
The monitoring team concluded that, based on detailed analysis of official records and CCTV footage, the vehicles had entered Nepal on the stated date and were duly cleared by the customs office following legal procedures.
Spokesperson for the Department of Customs, Kishor Bartaula, said the findings confirmed that the vehicles were processed in accordance with regulations and proper clearance procedures were followed at Mustang.
However, the monitoring team raised serious concerns over the customs clearance process at Rasuwagadhi. It found that customs officials had failed to exercise adequate caution and fulfill their official responsibilities while processing electric vehicle imports.
During an on-site inspection of documents, records, and declarations, the team discovered instances where vehicles were cleared based solely on paperwork without physically arriving at the customs yard.
Following the findings, the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Customs suspended 13 employees, including the then chief of Rasuwagadhi Customs Office, and initiated departmental action against them.
The department has also recommended legal action under prevailing customs laws against customs clearance representatives from several private companies, including Laxmi E-Mobility Pvt. Ltd., Simek’s Inc. Ltd., CG Motors Pvt. Ltd., and Pooja International Pvt. Ltd., as well as agents numbered 833 and 478, among others, by forwarding the case to Rasuwagadhi Customs Office for further action.
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