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The government has decided to form a four-member high-level probe commission to investigate the gold smuggling case.

The meeting has decided to form the commission under the headship of former High Court Chief Judge Dilliram Acharya.

Other members of the commission are Kishor Jung Karki of the Finance Ministry, Prem Raj Joshi of Home Ministry and former AIG Sahakul Thapa.

Earlier, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had called an all-party meeting to discuss the gold smuggling case.

Following the all-party meeting, Prime Minister Dahal had summoned a Cabinet meeting.

The meeting has decided to form a high-level probe commission under the headship of former High Court Judge Acharya to investigate the recent gold smuggling case, Information and Communications Minister Rekha Sharma said.

The government is to form a high-level probe commission to investigate the gold smuggling case.

During a meeting of the nationally recognized parties held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday morning, consensus was reached on forming the commission.

The government expressed its readiness to form the commission as per the demand of opposition parties including the CPN-UML.

The commission, which will have the tenure of three months, will have three members.

UML Whip Mahesh Bartaula said that a three-member commission will be formed under the headship of the formerhigh court judge and will have a tenure of three months.

Meanwhile, the parties, on the occasion, also urged the government to roll back its decision to hike the price of petroleum products.

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has submitted an investigation report with opinion to the District Attorney Office, Kathmandu in the 60 kg gold smuggling case.

CIB spokesperson Nawaraj Adhikari said that the CIB has submitted the investigation report to the District Attorney Office with opinion by concluding the investigation.

So far, police have arrested 32 persons and 18 are on the run, the CIB said.

According to the CIB, among the arrestees, 23 are Nepalis and nine are foreign nationals. The Bureau said that 14 foreign nationals and four Nepalis are on the run.

The CIB has recommended to file a case against the accused on organized crime, gold smuggling and other offenses under the Rastra Bank Act.

The Revenue Investigation Department on July 19 had confiscated the smuggled gold weighing 60 kilos and 716 grams from the Sinamangal area

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has made 50 persons defendants in the 60 kg gold smuggling case.

So far 32 persons have been arrested and 18 are on the run, the CIB said.

Prior to submitting the investigation report of the 60 kg gold smuggling case to the District Attorney Office, CIB Chief Kiran Bajracharya in the press conference said that 23 of the 50 defendants are of foreign nationals.

Among the arrestees, 23 are Nepalis and nine are foreign nationals, according to the CIB.

Bajracharya said that 14 foreign nationals and four Nepalis are at large.

The CIB has recommended to file a case against the accused on organized crime, gold smuggling and other offenses under the Rastra Bank Act.

The Revenue Investigation Department on July 19 had confiscated the smuggled gold weighing 60 kilos and 716 grams from the Sinamangal area

Completing its investigation into the case of 61 kilograms of gold smuggled from Hong Kong into the country, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police is due to submit its report to the District Government Attorney Office along with its note today.

CIB Chief and Additional Inspector General of Police Kiran Bajracharya said that preparations are on to submit the report today since the report writing task was completed on Tuesday.

The CIB is to give its recommendations to file the case against those in the custody on organized crime, gold smuggling and others. The investigation period for organized crime is 60 days.

The case shall be taken to the court as the limitation of 60 days is getting over on September 16. The District Government Attorney Office will then get three days of time to review the report before going to the district court.

So far, 30 persons are in police custody while one is out of the police custody citing health issues.

The arrestees in connection to the gold smuggling include customs officials, customs agents, gold traders and Indian and Chinese nationals.

The Revenue Investigation Department on July 19 had confiscated the smuggled gold weighing 60 kilos and 716 grams from the Sinamangal area.

The ongoing police investigation into recent gold smuggling cases has begun digging a bit deeper.

On Tuesday, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police questioned Dipesh Pun, the son of former Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun, after his constant contact with the gang suspected of involvement in smuggling gold by concealing the yellow metal in brake shoes of bikes and scooters came to light. 

The illegal gold dispatched via a Cathay Pacific flight originating in Hong Kong had passed through a high-security Tribhuvan International Airport, only to be confiscated at Sinamangal on July 19. 

Pun produced himself at the CIB where a team quizzed him for about four hours. CIB sources informed that Pun denied his involvement in gold smuggling. 

The investigation has revealed that the former vice-president’s family had contacts with Dawa Tshering, a Belgian citizen of Chinese origin linked to gold smuggling. 

Dipesh Pun therefore has come under the scanner and reports suggest that he has a business partnership with Dawa Tshering.

Tsering is married to Amala Roka Magar of Rolpa district and this is how the Pun family, also from Rolpa, came into contact with him. 

The CIB is investigating around 100 different people in connection with the case, including 26 people—six of them foreigners—who are already in police custody.

As part of the probe, it has sent Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Acharya to Hong Kong for investigating possible local connections involved in gold smuggling.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has also started bringing employees in connection with the gold smuggling case under the purview of its investigation by collecting their property details, sources at the CIAA said. 

After it came to light that the then director-general at the Ministry of Finance Jhalakram Adhikari had conversed with those arrested in connection with the case, other employees have also come 

under probe. 

Recently, the CIB has arrested Rahul Mahara, son of former speaker of the House of Representative Krishna Bahadur Mahara, as part of the investigation into the smuggling of nine kg of gold concealed in electronic cigarettes popularly known as vapes.

On 25 Dec, 2022, customs officials at the TIA had confiscated around 730 e-cigarettes dispatched to Nepal through a Fly Dubai flight originating in Hong Kong.

The CIB investigation revealed that the Mahara duo had phone conversations with Chinese racketeers 256 times.

In a public function, Mahara, the former speaker, conceded that he had telephonic conversations with the Chinese national accused in the gold smuggling case but he knew him only as a fruit dealer and had no knowledge of the case.

He later accepted calling airport authorities to ‘inquire about the product’.

The parties have agreed to form a high-level inquiry commission to investigate the gold smuggling case.

A meeting of the nationally recognized parties held in Singha Durbar on Wednesday agreed to form a inquiry commission.

As per the agreement, the government will form the commission on September 22 and it will start the work from the same day.

Meanwhile, the major political parties have signed a two-point agreement to end the House impasse.

The first point of the agreement states that the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police will continue its investigation into the gold smuggling case from the Tribhuvan International Airport on July 18 and the CIB itself will prosecute the people involved in the case.

An inquiry commission will be formed to investigate the gold smuggling cases including the July 18 case in an independent and impartial manner, states the second point of agreement.

A high-level committee is not necessary for investigating the 100-kg gold smuggling case and prosecuting the guilty notwithstanding the CPN-UML’s demand.

We have the obligation to discuss corruption cases in the Parliament, which is not happening as UML has been obstructing the House. If a high-level panel was formed to probe the Bhutanese refugee scam, we could have protected our leaders.

But we didn’t do that as we are committed to controlling corruption by bringing all suspects under probe and prosecuting the guilty. In the gold case also, police should be allowed to conduct a fair probe and book the guilty.

Parliament is a platform for the opposition to air public concerns, but UML is shying away from it. The government has opened files of the refugee scam, Lalita Niwas land-grab and the 100-kg gold case and even NC leaders are under probe, though the party is in the government. 

The author is general secretary of Nepali Congress 

Two more Chinese nationals have been arrested in connection with the recent gold smuggling case.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police apprehended the duo in connection with the 60 kg gold smuggling case from Kathmandu last night, Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said.

He, however, refused to give more details about the arrestees.

Earlier on Thursday also, police had detained four Chinese nationals in connection with the same case.

Police have arrested 23 persons in connection with the gold smuggling case so far.

They are being investigated under organized crime and revenue evasion.

The Department of Revenue Investigation on June 18 had seized 60 kg gold that had passed the airport customs undetected.

The CIB has been investigating the case.

Three Chinese nationals have been arrested in connection with the recent gold smuggling case on Tuesday.

A team of the Central Investigation Bureau nabbed the trio while they were about to board a flight to China from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

The team had also recovered Rs 3.1 million in cash from their possession.

According to a CIB source, three Chinese nationals were apprehended in connection with the gold smuggling case earlier also.

But they were released later due to lack of evidence.

So far, police have detained 23 persons including Indian, Chinese and Nepali nationals in connection with the gold smuggling case.

The Department of Revenue Investigation on June 18 had seized around one quintal gold that had passed the airport customs undetected.

Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala has demanded the formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the one quintal gold smuggling case.

Speaking at the Parliament Party meeting, leader Koirala was of the opinion that the high-level probe committee should be formed to take the investigation to a logical conclusion.

CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal became the Prime Minister with the support of the Nepali Congress.

Prime Minister Dahal himself is not positive towards forming a high-level probe committee to investigate the latest gold smuggling scam.

The CPN-UML has been obstructing Parliament proceedings for a long-time demanding formation of a high-level probe committee.

Last week, Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha had responded to the questions about the gold smuggling in the Parliament.

He had said that another committee is not necessary until the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police submits the report.

The UML lawmakers have been obstructing Parliament after they were not satisfied with the answers of the Home Minister.

Congress leader Koirala has also demanded the formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the gold smuggling case like that of the UML.

On the occasion, Koirala said that Nepali has been turning into a hotbed for international smugglers.

Meanwhle, he expressed his dissatisfaction over the arrest of lawmaker Sunil Sharma.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has demanded the formation of a high-level judicial commission to investigate the 100 kg gold smuggling case.

The investigation required a judicial commission to reach the root in the scam, said the former Prime Minister at a press conference organized here today in the party office.

It was not possible to smuggle the gold of such a big amount without the involvement of people in higher ranks, he claimed.  

In another context, Chair Oli blamed that the government arrested lawmaker Sunil Sharma in a fake academic certificate case in its attempt to lessen the protest against it.

The UML has been obstructing the Parliament demanding the formation of a high-level commission to investigate the gold smuggling.

Police have arrested Rohan Kumar, son of businessman Rakesh Kumar Adukiya, in connection with the 100-kg gold smuggling case.

Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said that Rohan Kumar was nabbed from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) while coming to Nepal from India.

The Department of Immigration has handed Rohan Kumar over to the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI).

Two more Chinese nationals have been arrested in connection with the recent 100 kg gold smuggling case on Friday.

Li Jialin and Liu Fuyan were arrested from Tibhuvan International Airport on the charge of their involvement in the scam, said Chief of TIA Immigration Office, Ram Bandhu Subedi.

The duo were arrested when they were travelling to China, he added.

The arrested ones have been handed over to the Central Investigation Bureau for further investigation, according to the TIA Immigration Office.

The main opposition CPN-UML has demanded formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the recent gold smuggling case.

The UML said that it would continue its protest until an investigation committee is formed.

Speaking at the Parliament meeting on Tuesday, UML lawmaker Yogesh Bhattarai said that all the lawmakers want the formation of a high-level probe committee.

Saying that the Accounts Committee of Parliament had also drawn the attention of the government towards the formation of the probe committee, he urged the government not to demonstrate “double standards”.

He also demanded voting for the formation of a probe committee.

Highlighting that there is a precedent of forming a high-level probe committee in the big countries like America and India, leader Bhattarai said that the committee is necessary in this case also.

He also gave the example of Sudan and Lalita Niwas land grab case.

“The then chiefs of Nepal Police were brought to book because of the probe committee formed to investigate the Sudan case,” he said, adding, “The door to investigate the former prime ministers in the Lalita Niwas land grab case was opened only after the formation of a probe committee.”

The National Assembly meeting has been postponed till Wednesday following obstruction from the main opposition CPN-UML.

As soon as the meeting began, UML lawmaker Dil Kumari Rawal demanded formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the recent gold smuggling case.

She said that the government is not serious towards investigating the gold smuggling case.

“The CPN-UML has been obstructing the Parliament demanding formation of a high-level probe committee. But the government is not serious towards it,” Rawal said.

She alleged that the government is involved in the smuggling.

Rawal claimed that the smuggling of a huge cache of gold would not have been possible had there not been the involvement of the government.

She said that they would not allow the House proceed with its business until the government answers the questions raised by the opposition.

After lawmaker Rawal put forth her opinion, UML lawmakers stood from their respective seats as a gesture of protest.

Later, Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina informed that the meeting has been postponed till 1 pm on Wednesday.

The Department of Revenue Investigation on June 18 seized around one quintal gold that had passed the airport customs undetected.

So far, 18 persons have been arrested in connection with the case.