KATHMANDU, MARCH 17
The home ministry today instructed strict and immediate action against Krishna Bahadur Mahara after the recommendation of the high-level probe commission report, but it is the most recent scandal involving Mahara.
In the four-and-a-half-decade long journey of his political life, the former speaker of the Lower House and the vice-president of the CPN-MC's name has been embroiled in several scandals.
Mahara has enjoyed Prime Minister Dahal's support since the Maoist insurgency- from becoming Parliamentary Party leader to speaker of the House of Representatives, despite being accused of a cantonment scam, audio tape scandal, attempted rape, and gold smuggling.
Mahara's name appears to have been recommended for prosecution on charges of involvement in gold smuggling this time, when the party president Dahal is the country's prime minister.
The former judge Dilli Raj Acharya-led high-level probe commission formed by the government to investigate the gold smuggling, submitted a report after five-and-a-half months on Thursday to Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane and recommended that Mahara be prosecuted.
Following that, on Sunday, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed police officials to charge alleged government officials in the gold smuggling case, including Mahara.
Inspector General of Nepal Police Basant Bahadur Kunwar, Chief of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Police Shyamalal Gyawali, and other officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs were directed to take immediate action against government officials, including Mahara.
The commission recommended replacing the CIB's chief, claiming that it had conducted an investigation to ensure the impunity of those involved in gold smuggling. Soon after, the government removed Kiran Bajracharya, Additional Inspector General and Chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), and appointed Shyam Gyawali as CIB chief.
Home Minister Lamichhane has directed action against the 'big fish' recommended in the commission's report. Following his instructions, the CIB has started studying the Commission's report.
According to the report, Mahara was directly involved in smuggling gold inside electronic cigarettes. It has been revealed that Mahara allowed the smugglers to use his vehicle.
It was discovered that Mahara and his son Rahul had multiple phone conversations with Dawa Tsering, a Chinese businessman involved in smuggling gold in electronic cigarettes.
As per the report, Mahara's Call Detail Report (CDR) revealed a link to the smugglers, and the Digital Forensic Lab (DFL) test revealed some evidence as well. The commission recorded Mahara's statement during the investigation. The report recommends that Mahara's name be added to the prosecution list.
The commission determined that he should be named as a defendant in the case of yellow metal smuggling through electronic cigarettes. Mahara's son, Rahul, is still in jail in the same case. In the vape case, the CIB accused Rahul of organised smuggling. Rahul Mahara was jailed on August 30, 2023.
On October 13, the Kathmandu District Court ordered Rahul to be remanded in custody. On 25 January 25, Rahul remained in jail after the Patan High Court upheld the Kathmandu District Court's detention order.
While gold smuggling is Mahara's most recent scandal, his life has been filled with both crime and scandal. Mahara, who had established himself as an honest leader during wartime politics, transitioned to peaceful politics and became embroiled in one controversy after another.
Mahara, who joined the peace process and became a member of the Constituent Assembly, was appointed Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the cabinet of then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
At that time, the Maoists obtained a Rs 40 million advance from the country's fund for the purpose of building and managing militant camps. After the submission was not approved, the Auditor General's Office questioned Mahara, the Minister of Communications.
When Baburam Bhattarai became Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers approved all cantonment-related expenses. Mahara's political career was not jeopardised despite the questions raised about him.
During his tenure at the Ministry of Communication, he was accused of providing telecom frequencies to private companies at low cost.
Similarly, in 2010, an audio recording of him demanding 50 million rupees from a Chinese citizen surfaced. In that audio, he asked for money, claiming that MPs should be bought to form a government led by his party. Despite the fact that the audiotape was made public, no investigation was launched against him.
Mahara, who won the Dang-2 seat in the 2017 general election, was elected speaker. Mahara was accused in 2019 of attempting to rape a Federal Parliament Secretariat employee while he was Speaker.
Mahara, was arrested and remanded into custody. Later, the District Court acquitted him and released him. The Patan High Court also upheld the verdict that acquitted him. After that, the public prosecutor's office did not file an appeal in this case with the Supreme Court.
Mahara, who was politically unscathed until the cantonment case and the audio surfacing of demands for 50 million rupees were made public, became politically inactive following the rape case. He did not run in the 2022 House of Representatives elections.
He was now restricted to party internal matters, moving away from active politics. In addition to continuing to serve as the party's spokesperson, he was chosen as the vice vice-president of the Maoist convention that took place the previous year.
