<p class="title">A special court in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district on Thursday awarded four years' rigorous jail term to a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a local Janpad Panchayat for embezzlement of government funds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Special Judge (anti-corruption court) Geeta Neware convicted then CEO of Pusaur Janpad Panchayat G P Pandey and clerk Subhash Chand Barik for embezzlement of Rs 10.65 lakh in 2014, Additional Government Pleader (AGP) A K Shrivastav said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barik was awarded two years' jail term.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.60 lakh on Pandey and Rs 60,000 on Barik.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another accused in the case, Shavet Kumar Yadav, who was working as a peon, was acquitted for lack of evidence.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pandey and Barik embezzled Rs 10.65 lakh from the funds meant for pension of destitute persons in 77 village panchayats by generating fake bills of expenses, the AGP said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pandey submitted forged bills of expenses related to stationary, photocopies and tent, claiming that he had held camps in village panchayats to distribute pension to destitute persons, the prosecutor said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Investigation revealed that neither any camp was held nor any items were purchased.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Based on the complaint of Ramesh Kumar Thawait, a local resident, the Economic Offences Wing registered a case under IPC sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Three more persons -- Sanjay Sahu, Shobhnath and Kartik Ram -- who are accused of providing fake bills to Pandey, are still absconding, Shrivastav said. </p>
<p class="title">A special court in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district on Thursday awarded four years' rigorous jail term to a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a local Janpad Panchayat for embezzlement of government funds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Special Judge (anti-corruption court) Geeta Neware convicted then CEO of Pusaur Janpad Panchayat G P Pandey and clerk Subhash Chand Barik for embezzlement of Rs 10.65 lakh in 2014, Additional Government Pleader (AGP) A K Shrivastav said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barik was awarded two years' jail term.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.60 lakh on Pandey and Rs 60,000 on Barik.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another accused in the case, Shavet Kumar Yadav, who was working as a peon, was acquitted for lack of evidence.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pandey and Barik embezzled Rs 10.65 lakh from the funds meant for pension of destitute persons in 77 village panchayats by generating fake bills of expenses, the AGP said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pandey submitted forged bills of expenses related to stationary, photocopies and tent, claiming that he had held camps in village panchayats to distribute pension to destitute persons, the prosecutor said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Investigation revealed that neither any camp was held nor any items were purchased.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Based on the complaint of Ramesh Kumar Thawait, a local resident, the Economic Offences Wing registered a case under IPC sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Three more persons -- Sanjay Sahu, Shobhnath and Kartik Ram -- who are accused of providing fake bills to Pandey, are still absconding, Shrivastav said. </p>