Page 2 - Corruption Cases

Ex-Indonesian agriculture minister sentenced to 10 years for corruption

Indonesia's anti-graft court sentenced a former agriculture minister to 10 years in prison Thursday after finding him guilty of corruption-related extortion, abuse of power and bribery involving ministry contracts with private vendors. The case has tarnished President Joko Widodo's credibility in fighting corruption. Five other members of Widodo's Cabinet have been sentenced to prison terms in corruption cases, casting a shadow over his efforts to clean up government while his term will end in October. The court in the capital, Jakarta, ruled that the former Cabinet minister, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, was guilty of abusing his power by enriching himself and other officials. It also ordered him to pay a 300 million rupiah ($18,500) fine, and said he would be subject to another four months' imprisonment if he fails to pay. The defendant has legally and convincingly been proven guilty of corruption, presiding Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh said. He wasn't a good example as a public official, what

CBI registers corruption case against former CMD of HECL Avijit Ghosh

The CBI has registered a corruption case against former chairman and managing director of Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd (HECL) Avijit Ghosh, officials said on Monday. Ghosh has been booked for alleged irregularities in setting up a centre of excellence for skill development in collaboration with CNIITMASH, a joint stock company of Russia, they said. The agency has alleged that Ghosh and others entered into a criminal conspiracy with CNIITMASH during 2015-19 with intention to cheat government exchequer by floating manipulated Expression of Interest. The CBI, which registered an FIR under IPC section of criminal conspiracy and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act after a year-long preliminary enquiry, said that the Centre had launched a scheme in November 2014 with an objective to boost Indian economy by making the Indian Capital Goods Sector globally competitive. Under the scheme, the government had to facilitate grant-in-aid to the industries which would form a special ..

AAP MP slams Modi govt as Delhi HC puts Kejriwal's bail order on hold

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making a mockery of the justice system after the Delhi High Court put on hold the trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam. Taking to X, Singh said in a post in Hindi, "Look at the hooliganism of the Modi government, the trial court's order has not yet come, even a copy of the order has not been received, so Modi's ED reached the High Court to challenge which order? What is happening in this country? "Modi ji, why are you making a mockery of the justice system? The whole country is watching you?" the AAP MP said. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the ED in the high court, sought a stay on the trial court order contending that the agency was not given a proper opportunity to argue its case. The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21, shortly after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from arr

Kerala rejects Oppn's plea for corruption case in liquor policy row

The Left government in Kerala on Monday rejected the opposition Congress-led UDF's demand to register a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act into the allegations with regard to the "amendment" of the state's liquor policy. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the opposition's demand in the state Assembly which met here for the first time after the Lok Sabha polls. An agitated opposition later raised slogans against the LDF government and showed placards as a mark of protest by standing in front of the podium of Speaker A N Shamseer. Though the UDF, under Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, urged the CPI (M)-led regime to register a corruption case in connection with the issue, Vijayan said a police probe was already underway. He accused the opposition of raising a fabricated argument and trying to create the impression that something (illegal) was happening in the state. "The State Excise Minister himself had lodged a complaint with the Director General of Police as

BJP responsible for unemployment, corruption in Haryana, says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the BJP government for "unemployment, corruption and inflation" in the Haryana. "There is a huge wave of Congress in Haryana. Haryana has the highest unemployment in the entire country, the price of which is being paid by the youth here. "The public is fed up with the rampant inflation, corruption and instability of the BJP and is going to bring about a big change)," she said in a post in Hindi on X. The Congress will win all seats in the state with a huge margin, she said. Earlier, she led a roadshow to garner support for party nominee Kumari Selja for the May 25 Lok Sabha poll in Haryana. Standing in an open vehicle along with Selja and former Haryana minister Kiran Choudhary, Priyanka waved towards people during her roadshow, which lasted for about an hour. It was her first such election outing in Haryana. Holding party flags, Congress workers raised slogans 'Congress party Zindabad' and showered flower petals on her.

SC protects ex-NOIDA engineer Yadav Singh from CBI arrest for corruption

The Supreme Court on Thursday protected former Noida Authority chief engineer Yadav Singh from arrest by the CBI in a corruption case in which he allegedly executed 1,280 maintenance contracts worth Rs 954 crore in eight days in December 2011. A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prasant Kumar Mishra took note of the submissions of senior advocate NK Kaul, appearing for Singh, that a bailable warrant has been issued against the accused after the central probe agency filed a supplementary charge sheet against him in the case. The bench has now posted the plea for hearing after four weeks. The senior lawyer said the top court had granted him bail following his over three year incarceration in the case and he now apprehends fresh arrest in the wake of the filing of the fresh supplementary charge sheet. There shall be no coercive action against the petitioner, the bench said while issuing notice to the CBI on Singh's fresh plea for bail. The top court had granted Yadav Singh

Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan refuses to tender apology over May 9 riots

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has refused to apologise for the unprecedented May 9 riots, a day after the military ruled out dialogue with his party unless they tendered a public apology over the unprecedented violence. Khan, who spoke to the media after the court proceedings in the 190 million pounds Al Qadir corruption case at Adiala jail on Wednesday, also said that he was ready to face an inquiry into the sit-in that his Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf party staged in 2014, Dawn newspaper reported. When asked whether he would apologise for the May 9 violent protest, 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician replied no, saying he was under detention at the time and was unaware of those protests, the report added. I condemned the May 9 incidents in front of (former) chief justice Umar Ata Bandial, he added. The ex-premier mentioned that he became aware of the protests when he appeared before the then-chief justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial. Khan has been incarcerat

PM Modi will expedite action against corruption after Jun 4: Nadda in TN

BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday held a roadshow at Paramakudi in this district, in support of NDA candidate and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam, an expelled AIADMK leader, is contesting from Ramanathapuram as an independent candidate as part of the BJP-led NDA. Tamil Nadu goes to polls on April 19. Lashing out at the ruling DMK in the state over alleged corruption, Nadda accused party people of being involved in "sand scam" (alleged illegal sand mining) and said DMK stands for "Dynasty, Money swindling and Kattapanchayat," (Kangaroo court). After June 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will expedite action against corruption and "all these people will be either in jail or bail," he said. At the end of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in the country, counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. Nadda, who campaigned for Panneerselvam atop a specially designed vehicle, praised the latter as "a very senior leader who is experienced, mature

Toshakhana case: Pak court suspends Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi jail terms

The Toshakhana corruption case pertains to the accusations against Khan for illegally selling state gifts, which he received during his tenure as the PM of Pakistan between 2018-2022

Ex-Thai PM Thaksin released on parole after serving 6 months in hospital

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole early Sunday from a Bangkok hospital where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses. Thaksin was seen in a convoy of cars leaving the Police General Hospital just before sunrise and is believed to be headed to his residence in western Bangkok. A homemade banner with the words Welcome home and We've been waiting for this day for so so long was seen hanging at the front gate of his house. A polarising figure in Thai politics over the last two decades, Thaksin was in office from 2001 until he was toppled in a 2006 coup. He was later convicted of abuse of power and other misdeeds while in office and returned in August from more than a decade of self-imposed exile to serve his prison sentence. His original eight-year sentence was commuted to only a year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn on September 1. Thaksin had called his convictions politically motivated. Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong confirmed .

Six-member BJP delegation to visit violence-hit Sandeshkhali in West Bengal

BJP president J P Nadda has constituted a six-member committee of party MPs, five of them being women, who will on Friday visit West Bengal's Sandeshkhali which has been rocked by protests over allegations of sexual assault of women by TMC supporters. Several women in the region have accused the local Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who has gone to search his premises in connection with a corruption case. Union ministers Pratima Bhoumik, Annapurna Devi, who is the committee's convener, Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav and Brij Lal, a former Uttar Pradesh DGP, are part of the committee, a statement from the BJP said. Party sources said they will visit Sandeshkhali on Friday. The party said the incidents of sexual exploitation and violence against women are heart-rendin

Jharkhand CM Soren receives fresh summons from ED in money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on Saturday

CBI books new corruption case against Lieutenant Colonel Abhishek Chandra

The CBI has slapped a fresh case of corruption against Lieutenant Colonel Abhishek Chandra, the then SSO (contract and victualling) at Andaman and Nicobar Command, for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets and depositing cash in lakhs in accounts of his family members, officials said on Monday. Lieutenant Colonel Chandra was booked in 2022 for allegedly demanding and accepting illegal gratification from various vendors in cash as well as bank deposits in the accounts of his family members, they said. During the probe, the agency scrutinised documents related to his assets which indicated that Chandra and his wife were in possession of assets which they could not satisfactorily account for, the officials said. "It has also been revealed that huge cash amount of Rs 15 lakh was deposited by Lieutenant Colonel Abhishek Chandra and his wife Priya Chandra in cash from Port Blair through cash deposit vouchers in the account of Sashi Sharma (mother of Priya Chandra), Paritosh Sharma ..

ED records voice sample of Sujay Krishna Bhadra in school jobs scam case

Enforcement Directorate sleuths on Thursday collected voice samples of Sujay Krishna Bhadra, one of the arrested accused in the school jobs scam, an ED official said. Bhadra, popularly known as 'Kalighat er Kaku' (uncle from Kalighat), is said to be close to the top leaders of the ruling TMC and was allegedly a key official in a couple of companies linked to them. The recording will be sent to Central Forensic Laboratory. Along with the recorded voice samples of Bhadra, the ED will also send the recordings they had collected as evidence while investigating the scam for the purpose of "matching", the official told PTI. His voice was recorded at the ESI Hospital at Joka here after being taken from the SSKM Hospital on Wednesday night. "The accused's voice was recorded at night at the ESI Joka Hospital. The samples were collected by our officers in the presence of two independent witnesses," he told PTI. About eight ED officers, one forensic expert and one technician were present in

China toughens punishment for bribery as part of anti-corruption crackdown

Days after President Xi Jinping exhorted people to maintain personal integrity, China on Friday amended its criminal law to punish those giving bribes to officials as part of its anti-corruption drive. An amendment to the Criminal Law was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature. The amended law, which will take effect on March 1, has intensified the fight against bribe-givers, stating that those offering bribes repeatedly, to multiple people, or parties involved in major national projects should be harshly punished. People who give bribes to staff members of supervisory, administrative, or judicial departments, or bribe in fields such as environment, finance, safety production, drug and food, social insurance, rescue relief, education, or healthcare, also need to face severe punishment, the law added. On December 4, President Xi warned senior ruling Communist Party officials to maintain personal integrity, set strict rules f

Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan, his aide Qureshi indicted in cipher case

A special court in Pakistan on Wednesday indicted former prime minister Imran Khan and his close aide former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case for allegedly leaking state secrets and violating the laws of the country. Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqernain conducted the proceedings of the case in the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi where the two leaders have been incarcerated in the case. The judge read out the charges against the two leaders, who were present inside the courtroom, but both of them pleaded not guilty. This was the second time that they were indicted. Earlier, they were indicted on October 23 but the process was nullified by the Islamabad High Court. Judge Zulqernain while hearing the case on December 4 had declared that fresh indictment was mandatory in the light of the Islamabad High Court judgment which declared all proceedings illegal after ruling against the jail trial on procedural grounds. It resulted in the fresh process to initiate an in-prison trial

Pak court rejects Imran Khan's plea to withdraw appeal in Toshakhana case

A Pakistani high court on Wednesday rejected jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's plea seeking the withdrawal of his appeal against his disqualification in the Toshakhana corruption case. Khan, 71, has been in jail since August 5, when he was arrested after a conviction in the Toshakhana case. He was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the case for failing to disclose the proceeds from the sale of gifts he got from the Toshakhana (state repository). The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PIT) party leader approached the Islamabad High Court Chief (IHC) against the electoral body's decision, contending that he had purchased the assets legally; hence, there was no reason for him not to mention the gifts in his assets statement. However, on January 18, the PTI filed a fresh plea in the IHC to withdraw the petition, saying the cricketer-turned-politician wanted the Lahore High Court (LHC) to hear the matter. A separate petition had been filed in the LHC against Khan

CBI to probe multi-crore scam by three cooperative banks in Karnataka: CM

The Central Bureau of Investigation will probe into the financial irregularities that took place in three cooperative banks in Karnataka, the state government said on Saturday. In a post on 'X', Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: "It has been approved to hand over the scams of Guru Raghavendra Cooperative Bank, Vasishtha Bank and Guru Sovereign Bank to the CBI." Thousands of depositors had invested their lifetime savings in the bank, keeping their dreams like marriage of children, buying their own house as a basis for their retirement life. All of them are clueless about their future life due to bankers' fraud, the chief minister said. "Even when I was the Leader of the Opposition earlier, I was vocal inside and outside the House and participated in protests to get justice for the defrauded depositors. Even then, it was our insistence that this case should be investigated by CBI," he stated. "I have seen the frustration and suffering from those who have lost their deposit money. For

NIA conducts raids in four states to bust fake Indian currency note rackets

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday seized fake notes, currency printing paper and digital gadgets in raids in four states to bust fake Indian currency note rackets, an official said. The raids were conducted as part of the NIA's probe into a case registered on November 24 that relates to a larger conspiracy hatched by suspected individuals for trafficking Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from across the border and promoting their circulation in India, a spokesperson of the agency said. Teams of the NIA searched the premises of accused Rahul Tanaji Patil alias "Javed" in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, Vivek Thakur alias "Aditya Singh" in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh and Mahendar in Ballari district of Karnataka, Premises of suspects Shiva Patil alias "Bhimrav" in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra and Shashi Bhushan in Rohtas district of Bihar were also raided, the official said. The searches led to the seizure of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) of fac

Pak's ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's conviction reversed in two 2018 corruption cases

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday acquitted Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in two cases of corruption in which he was convicted in 2018. Sharif, 73, had challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) his sentences in the Avenfield property and Al-Azizia cases. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides. The former premier was convicted in July 2018 and handed 10 years in jail in the Avenfield properties corruption case about assets beyond known income in London. He was sentenced in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case to seven years in jail in December 2018. The cases were filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the national anti-corruption watchdog. He had filed an appeal against both convictions. Sharif went to London in 2019 and could not return and was declared a proclaimed offender in both cases in December 2020 by the IHC. He came bac