North Korean diplomat Son Young Nam, who was found carrying 27kg gold at the Shahjalal airport here on Friday, has left Dhaka as per a 72-hour ultimatum given by the Bangladesh government.
“We had given him a 72-hour ultimatum and he left Dhaka accordingly,” a senior official at the Foreign Ministry told journalists.
The official also said they summoned North Korean North Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Ri Song Hyon at the Ministry on Monday and asked him to prosecute the diplomat under his country’s own law.“We also asked the envoy to keep informing Bangladesh about the steps taken against the diplomat (Son Young Nam) from time to time,” the Foreign Ministry official said.
The Ambassador assured the Foreign Ministry officials of taking steps accordingly, said the official.
However, another official source said he the diplomat left secretly on Sunday night.
Initially, the government had considered three options, including asking his government to immediately withdraw him from Bangladesh.
The two other options were withdrawal of his diplomatic immunity and his prosecution under the country’s anti-smuggling laws apart from declaring him persona-non-grata.
The North Korean diplomat — first secretary, Commercial and Economic Affairs — was caught with 27kg gold worth about Tk 14 core at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
