Nepal asks Hong Kong customs to help investigate gold smuggled from city into country
- Precious metal concealed in shipment of motorcycle parts came from city and was intercepted in Kathmandu
- More than 12 Nepalese and other nationals arrested in connection with case, including importers and taxi driver
Nepalese authorities have asked Hong Kong customs to cooperate with an investigation into a gold smuggling case, after a shipment of motorcycle parts containing the precious metal was revealed to have come from the city.
Punya Bikram Khadka, the spokesman for Nepal’s Department of Customs, confirmed to the Post on Sunday that his agency had sent a letter to its counterpart in Hong Kong seeking details about the exporter who sent the shipment.
“We are requesting the Customs and Excise Department [provide] … detailed information [about] whether these people have ever exported after this incident,” Khadka said.
“Our concern is why the declaration was not respected, [and whether there were] procedures and any laws to verify the declaration or not.”
Nepalese authorities intercepted the 155kg shipment of motorcycle brake parts with the gold hidden inside on July 18. It had been loaded into a taxi that left Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
The importer was a Nepalese firm called Ready Trade, according to the country’s authorities.
They were still trying to ascertain the exact amount of gold. Only commercial banks are allowed to import gold bullion into Nepal. Failure to declare gold ornaments brought into the country weighing more than 50 grams is subject to a fine equivalent to its value, and the importer faces up to five years in jail depending on the value of the precious metal.
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Nepalese media reported the Hong Kong customs department sent an acknowledgement of the request to its counterparts in the country.
But Khadka said his department had not received any further updates from Hong Kong, and he hoped the city’s authorities could provide information about the exporter and the shipment concerned.
According to Khadka, more than 12 Nepalese and other nationals have been arrested in connection with the case, including the importers and the taxi driver.
The official declined to say where the foreign suspects came from, but Nepalese media reported some were Chinese nationals.
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A Hong Kong customs spokesman declined to comment on individual cases but reiterated the department was dedicated to combating cross-border smuggling through collaboration with overseas counterparts.
“We stress that we will take resolute enforcement actions should there be any smuggling cases, and will not tolerate any illegal acts,” the spokesman said.
