The government has appointed Tokraj Pandey as the head of the customs office at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat on Tuesday appointed Pandey, Director General of the Nepal Public Library, as the customs head at TIA after the 100 kg gold smuggling case hit the headlines.
Finance Minister Dr. Mahat's secretariat has confirmed that Pandey has been appointed as the airport customs chief.
TIA Customs Chief Arun Pokharel is on sick leave since July 2. Meanwhile, Pokharel, who is currently undergoing medical treatment, has been transferred to the Ministry of Finance.
Customs chief Pokharel was on leave when 100 kg of gold was brought in after passing the customs clearance at TIA on Tuesday.
While Pokharel was on leave for two months, Pandey was appointed to his position. Narad Gautam was leading the airport customs as an acting chief.
The Finance Ministry decided to send Pandey to the infamous TIA customs after the gold smuggling case.
Chief Pokharel took a leave from July 2 and approved it until September 3. According to the customs office, he had taken sick leave because of back problems.
He had already informed the Director General of the Department of Customs and Finance Minister about his leave.
