Mizoram: Special court sentences PWD engineer to 4 years imprisonment

Aizawl: The Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act) has sentenced Junior Engineer (JE) C. Lalfakawma of the Mizoram Public Works Department to 4 years in prison and fined him Rs. 2 lakh for a graft case.

Special Judge H. T. C. Lalrinchhana convicted him under IPC section 409 and PC Act sections 13(2) and 13(1)(a) on Monday and the sentences were announced on Tuesday.

Lalfakawma received 2 years in prison with a Rs. 1 lakh fine for IPC section 409, and 4 years in prison with a Rs. 1 lakh fine for PC Act sections 13(2) and 13(1)(a). Both sentences, except for the fine, will run concurrently. Any time served in judicial custody will be set off as per section 428 of CrPC.

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Lalfakawma was remanded to judicial custody at Aizawl Central Jail. Criminal cases were initiated in May 2020 when a Deputy Secretary of PWD filed a complaint with the Mizoram Lokayukta, alleging illegal money transactions by Lalfakawma when he was a Junior Engineer posted at Khawzawl Sub-Division.

Subsequently, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigated the claims, which included Rs 17 lakh from a contractor and Rs 3 lakh from a sub-contractor in 2018.

While both contractors initially testified against Lalfakawma, the main contractor later admitted depositing Rs 17 lakh in the accused’s bank account as a loan, and the sub-contractor borrowed Rs 8 lakh from Lalfakawma, depositing Rs 11 lakh through the accused’s bank account and taking an additional Rs 3 lakh loan.

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