In our June 19 report, the Post reported that Michael Kobold announced via social media the cancellation of the ‘Nepal Fire Truck Expedition’. Now, in a new social media post, Kobold has “retracted” his earlier statement and said that “yesterday’s statement was part of an elaborate practical joke on the expedition’s critics and naysayers”.

On July 18, prior to publication, the Post had reached out to Kobold via email asking if the statement was true and if he planned to return the funds he had raised now that the expedition was cancelled. Kobold responded that the Post had “done just about everything to kill the project”. In follow-up questions, Kobold said that he would not be returning any of the funds since the Nepal Tourism Board had refused to amend their Memorandum of Understanding.

We reported Kobold’s initial statement about the cancellation of his project because we believed that it served the public interest, especially since the Post has reported consistently on Kobold and his string of lies and deceit in the name of the ‘Nepal Fire Truck Expedition’. 

Kobold's recent statements are a ploy to mislead the public and the media and they only confirm what we have been reporting from the start: he lies.

He has lied repeatedly, whether it is to immigration officials, to his former employees, or to Nepali officials he promised endorsements from Lady Gaga and Rihanna for the expedition.

We categorically deny any and all allegations of corruption that Kobold has levelled at the Post and, unlike him, we stand by each and every single reporting till date.

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