Four get 5-year term in Assam vet dept scam

A special court has sentenced four persons to five years of imprisonment for their involvement in one of the several cases of a massive financial scandal...

A special court has sentenced four persons to five years of imprisonment for their involvement in one of the several cases of a massive financial scandal believed to be worth about Rs 400 crore that had occurred in the Assam animal husbandry and veterinary department between 1988 and 1992.

The instant case was in connection with the fraudulent withdrawal of about Rs 60.90 lakh from the Sonari sub-division treasury by submitting false letters of credit (LoC) during that period. The persons who have been sentenced to five years imprisonment each include Rajen Bora, a businessman who kept shifting political loyalty between the AGP and the Congress, and even fought an election as a nominee of the regional party.

The other three are the then sub-divisional animal husbandry officer of Sonar Inamul Haque, accountant Mukibul Hussain and the then Sivasagar treasury and accounts officer Tankeswar Saikia. A fine of Rs 50,000 each has also been imposed on them. Two others—Achyut Barpujari and his wife Rajita Barpujari—who were business associates of Rajen Bora, the kingpin, have got two years RI and a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

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The LoC scandal, one of India’s biggest financial scandals, was probed by the CBI. The investigating agency had even named former chief ministers Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Hiteswar Saikia as also several former AGP and Congress ministers. But the then governor SK Sinha refused prosecution permission to the CBI against Mahanta on the ground that there was no prima facie charge against him.

The court acquitted Bora’s wife Indira Bora and TB Dutta, the then director of the animal husbandry and veterinary department, who were also chargesheeted by the CBI in the case. Another accused Dulal Konwar died during proceeding of the trial, CBI counsel DK Das said. The CBI had altogether named nine persons in the chargesheet in this case involving an amount of Rs 66,90,495, which was filed before the court on March 27, 1996.