National
Court orders former speaker Mahara sent to judicial custody
District Court sends Mahara to prison pending trial in gold smuggling case.
Post Report
The Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday ordered former speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara to be remanded in judicial custody for trial in connection with a high-profile gold smuggling case.
The decision followed a two-day custody hearing after the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police arrested Mahara on Sunday. He faces charges under the Organised Crime Act and the Customs Act, with prosecutors demanding the maximum prison sentence and the recovery of Rs85.5 million allegedly gained through illicit means.
Deepak Shrestha, information officer at the court, said that Mahara will remain in detention until the completion of the trial. “After reviewing the hearing and evidence presented, the court has decided to keep the accused in judicial custody for further proceedings,” he said.
Mahara, a senior leader of CPN (Maoist Centre), has been accused of colluding with a Chinese organised network to smuggle gold concealed inside electronic cigarettes (vapes). The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had earlier directed police to reopen the probe against him.
The former speaker was previously questioned by the CIAA in Tangal and had been linked to the same case three years ago but was released during earlier rounds of investigation. His son, Rahul Mahara, was also arrested in connection with the same smuggling network.