Ukrainian climber released from detention days after record breaking Everest ascent

KATHMANDU – Ukrainian climber Andrew Ushakov, who completed a journey from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest in a record four days, has been released on bail following his arrest for allegedly carrying undeclared foreign currency, a Nepali official told Reuters on May 27.

“He has to face the charges in court,” said Mr Chandi Prasad Ghimire, director-general of the Department of Revenue Investigation.

“If he chooses to raise hands (not fight the case in court),he forfeits the bail money.”

Mr Ghimire had previously said that the bail was set at US$60,000 (S$77,000) – three times the amount allegedly carried by Ushakov, 40, when he was taken into custody on May 25.

“Andrew is now out of custody after a misunderstanding,” Ushakov’s public relations team told Reuters on May 27.

“He is grateful for the support he has received and is currently working to clarify all matters with the relevant authorities.”

Ushakov, a structural engineer who lives in the United States, flew from New York to Nepal on May 15 before scaling Everest without the usual period of several weeks of acclimatisation.

He said he did not use Xenon, the gas inhaled by four British former special forces soldiers who scaled Earth’s highest mountain last week, in five days, after leaving London. The climbers used Xenon to pre-acclimatise themselves to the low-oxygen environment they would encounter as they journeyed toward the 8,849m summit.

Police official Nakul Pokhrel said that the undeclared foreign currency was detected during baggage screening as Ushakov readied to board a plane leaving Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city.

Anyone carrying foreign currency worth more than US$5,000 is required to declare it to the authorities in Nepal. REUTERS