Court Grants 4-Day Detention for Former Speaker Krishna Mahara in Gold Smuggling Case

Former Speaker and Maoist Center Vice Chairman Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who was arrested in connection with a gold smuggling case, has been allowed by the court to be detained for four days. A bench led by Justice Durga Prasad Khanal approved the request for remanding Mahara in custody for investigation.

Mahara was arrested on Monday morning from Kapilvastu. The arrest took place during a re-investigation of a case involving the smuggling of approximately 9 kg of gold through vape devices. This development follows a directive from the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, instructing the police to take action based on a report from an inquiry commission regarding extensive gold smuggling, which implicated Mahara.

The inquiry commission, chaired by former High Court chief judge Dilli Raj Acharya, had submitted its findings to the Home Minister last week. These findings, subsequently forwarded to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, allegedly highlighted Mahara’s involvement in the smuggling, along with claims of the Central Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) purported efforts to shield Mahara and others from scrutiny.

A recent cabinet meeting decided to diligently implement the recommendations and findings of the inquiry commission, which was tasked with probing shortcomings in the police investigation concerning the smuggling of 61 kg of gold in 2023 and the concealment of 9 kg of gold within electronic cigarettes in 2022.

Rahul Mahara, son of Krishna Mahara, is already in judicial custody following charges filed by the District Attorney’s Office last year in connection with the 9 kg gold smuggling incident. It’s noteworthy that Krishna Mahara had previously been questioned by the police for suspected regular contact with Chinese smugglers but had not been formally interrogated in relation to the case until now.

The court’s decision to allow Mahara’s detention for four days underscores the gravity of the allegations and the ongoing investigations into the matter.