11 fodder scam convicts get jail terms
Tuesday, 12 June , 2007, 16:39

Ranchi: A Special Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) court on Tuesday sentenced 11 people to varying
prison terms for their involvement in a fodder scam in
which millions of rupees were embezzled from the
treasury of Bihar State before bifurcation.

Judge Manoranja Kavi announced the quantum of sentence
for those convicted for the fraudulent withdrawal of
Rs.5.5 million from the Godda treasury of present day
Jharkhand.

Diwakar Prasad, former regional director of Dumka, and
Ajit Kumar Sinha, former treasury officer of Godda,
were awarded seven years imprisonment. The other nine
got four-year jail terms.

A Rs 100,000 fine has also been imposed on all the
convicts, defaulting which they will have to serve an
additional six months in jail.

There were total 15 accused in the case. One died
during trial of the case two were acquitted and one
turned approver of the CBI. Of the 11 convicted, six
are government officials and rest are suppliers.

The multimillion-rupee fodder scam surfaced in 1996
and the investigation was handed over to CBI at the
order of the Patna High Court. A total of 63 cases
were registered in the scam and 41 were transferred to
Jharkhand after it was carved out from Bihar in
November 2000.

The CBI has filed a charge sheet in almost every case
and trail is under progress. Till now the special CBI
court has passed judgment in 17 cases and nearly 220
accused in different cases have been awarded
punishment of two to seven years imprisonment.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and former Bihar chief
minister Jagganth Mishra are accused in five cases.




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