Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara and other officials of the customs office in connection with the gold smuggling case.

The anti-graft body has found that Chinese national Li Hang Song had smuggled gold by hiding 730 units of electric cigarettes (vapes) brought to Nepal from a flight of Fly Dubai on December 26, 2022. Initially, the customs office confiscated the vapes, but later the original vapes (including gold) were exchanged with fake vapes and the gold disappeared.

According to the CIAA’s claims, former Speaker Mahara and his son Rahul Mahara had colluded with Chinese smugglers to release the seized gold and put pressure on the high officials of the customs to help the smugglers illegally.

The anti-graft body has also named Mahara’s son Rahul, the then chief customs administrator Arun Pokhrel, chief customs officer Mukti Prasad Shrestha and other officials as defendants in the case.