Not require to examine gold smuggling with high-level committee: Minister Sharma

The government has made it clear that there is no need for a high-level committee to investigate gold smuggling.

In a press conference held today at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology to announce the decision of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Communications Rekha Sharma clarified that a high-level committee is not necessary as the matter is being investigated by the Revenue Investigation Department.

Minister Sharma, who is also the spokesperson of the government, said that the current government is moving forward with determination to control irregularities, corruption and smuggling, and asked not to doubt the investigation conducted by the department. "Now an effective investigation is being conducted by the department. The government is about to get to the 'root cause' of this incident. The government has not seen the need for a high-level inquiry into the matter", Minister Sharma said while presenting an example of the fact that no committee was formed to investigate gold smuggling in the past.

She requested to let the research done by the department reach its conclusion. "Let's trust the investigation done by the department. If there would have been a disturbance in the investigation, the gold would not have been arrested", she said. "During the investigation, some people have been arrested and the investigation is ongoing. If necessary later during the investigation, such a committee can be formed, but it is not necessary now and forming such a committee may affect the ongoing investigation."

Regarding the same case, the main opposition party CPN (UML) is also discussing about removing the obstruction in the federal parliament by demanding a high-level investigation committee, he expressed confidence that the obstruction in the house will be removed soon. The department recovered nearly 100 kg of gold when it was cleared from airport customs. The department is investigating and arresting 18 people suspected to be involved in the case.