Kathmandu - Cimex Inc, the official distributor of BYD electric vehicles in Nepal, has committed a critical blunder in its official clarification by attempting to conceal the timeline of its pre-budget customs clearances

On Thursday evening, the company released a public statement detailing vehicle import dates, customs checkpoints, declaration numbers, and volumes. However, a close examination of the data suggests that Cimex may have manipulated customs clearance timelines to conceal a large-scale tax evasion scheme.

Out of the 1,396 vehicles cleared by Cimex in the month leading up to the budget, customs data reveals that a staggering 1,121 BYD electric cars were cleared from the Rasuwa and Mustang Customs offices in just a 13-day window during the month of Jestha.

Official records show that during May, Cimex cleared 787 vehicles from Rasuwa Customs and 649 vehicles from Mustang Customs.

While the vehicle dates and declaration numbers published by Cimex for the Mustang customs clearance align perfectly with the records in the customs' Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), the company manipulated the inspection dates at the Rasuwa Customs Office for the 15-day period before the budget announcement.

Specifically, data within the ASYCUDA system proves that no BYD vehicles cleared through Rasuwa Customs on May 18, yet Cimex intentionally falsified this date in the official details it released on Thursday evening.

According to Cimex’s statement, 20 Atto 1 vehicles, 30 additional Atto 1 units, and 15 Sealion 7 vehicles were cleared on May 18 under declaration numbers 5401, 5400, and 5309, respectively.

However, records in the ASYCUDA system show that the 15 Sealion 7 vehicles under declaration number 5309 were actually cleared on May 15. Although the declaration number, vehicle quantity, and model match the details provided by Cimex, the clearance date appears to have been altered.

Similarly, declaration numbers 5401 and 5400 , which Cimex claimed were cleared on May 18 , are listed in the customs system as having been cleared on May 17.

Sources involved in the investigation allege that Cimex submitted customs documents and completed inspection procedures before the vehicles had physically arrived from the BYD manufacturing plant in China. Investigators suspect that this was done to avoid paying the increased taxes introduced in the budget.

As of Thursday, hundreds of BYD vehicles that had reportedly been inspected and issued gate passes by Cimex had still not reached the Rasuwa customs checkpoint.

In connection with the case, the Department of Customs has summoned six individuals, including Rasuwa Customs Chief Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai, to Kathmandu for questioning.

Meanwhile, 774 BYD electric vehicles inspected at Mustang Customs were taken into custody by the Armed Police Force on Wednesday night and Thursday morning following government instructions, before being handed over to customs authorities.

The Department of Customs has also launched a formal investigation amid suspicions that vehicle inspections were conducted only on paper and that confidential information regarding upcoming tax changes may have been leaked prior to the budget announcement.

Taking the matter seriously, the Department formed a high-level investigation committee on Thursday under the direction of the Ministry of Finance.

The committee, coordinated by Deputy Secretary Bhupal Raj Shakya, includes representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Nepal Police, and the Armed Police Force. It has been tasked with conducting on-site inspections, evaluating customs procedures, and determining whether the vehicles were legally imported and cleared, or whether customs clearances were processed solely on paper before the vehicles physically arrived at the checkpoints.

An investigation team from the Department of Customs is continuing its inquiry at Rasuwa Customs. In parallel, another special investigation committee has been formed under the direction of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance to carry out a broader probe into the incident.