Nepal: Former house speaker Mahara remanded to four-day judicial custody in gold smuggling case

Kathmandu [Nepal], March 18 : Former House Speaker and Vice-Chair of the ruling Maoist Center, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, has been remanded in judicial custody for four days by the Kathmandu District Court.
District Court Judge Durga Prasad Khanal approved the request made by police to remand Mahara in custody for investigation.

Initially, police sought permission from the District Public Prosecutor's Office to hold Mahara for a week.
Judge Khanal granting four-day judicial custody with the possibility of further extension on request, also ordered police to admit Mahara to a hospital owing to his health
condition.
"The court has ordered to admit Mahara in hospital owing to his health condition along with the remand to four-day judicial custody," Hobindra Bogati, Spokesperson at the Central Investigation Bureau confirmed ANI over the phone.
While being brought to the Office of the District Public Prosecutor's Office, Mahara was wearing a mask and was having problems in movement as he got off the vehicle and entered the building.
The police official refrained from providing any updates regarding Mahara's health status or the hospital where he is to be admitted.
Mahara has been arrested for his alleged involvement in gold smuggling from China as well as faces accusations of corruption and attempted rape
Following allegations of attempted rape made by a staffer at the Federal Parliament Secretariat, Mahara endured months of incarceration. Later, the Kathmandu District Court acquitted him of the charges.
Before being elected as house speaker Mahara also was accused of corruption during his tenure as communication minister. An audio clip was leaked onto the media where he had bargained with a Chinese national for approval of a telecommunication license.
He got laid off in the case as well.
The latest round of arrest of Mahara comes after an inquiry commission on large-scale gold smuggling pointed out his involvement in the case.
Newly appointed Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane had ordered the police to arrest those named in the report of the commission.
The inquiry commission headed by Dilli Raj Acharya, a former High Court chief judge had submitted its report last Thursday to the Home Minister which was later passed to Prime Minister.
The report had allegedly pointed out that the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) had deliberately attempted to let Mahara go off the hooks of investigators along with others.
A cabinet meeting held late on Thursday had decided to implement the suggestion and report of the commission thoroughly. The commission was destined to investigate the cases of smuggling of 61 KG gold in 2023 and 9 KG gold concealed inside electronic
cigarettes in 2022.
Rahul Mahara, son of Krishna Mahara is in judicial custody after the District Attorney's Office filed the case against him in connection with a 9 KG gold smuggling attempt.
Previously, the Police had inquired from Mahara after he was found to be in constant touch with Chinese smugglers. But he was never interrogated in the case.