Kathmandu : A case has been filed against Jiwan Gurung, the foreign affairs advisor to former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, at the Kathmandu District Court in connection to a high-profile gold smuggling case.

The case was filed following an investigation conducted by the Tribhuvan International Customs Office, culminating in the filing of charges against Gurung today.

Authorities are seeking a substantial penalty of Rs 1.04 billion along with a prison sentence of 5 years against Gurung.

The investigation was spurred by the arrest of Chandra Ghale from Gorkha’s Barpak area at Tribhuvan International Airport, with a staggering 14 kg of gold in possession.

Subsequent inquiries unearthed a larger smuggling network responsible for trafficking a total of 138 kg of illegal gold.