Bhubaneswar, Dec 26: Former Orissa Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC) MD, IAS Officer Vinod Kumar has been again convicted in connection with an ORHDC scam.
He has been awarded three more years in prison, with the new verdict, pronounced by the Vigilance Court, Bhubaneswar.
This marks the 12th conviction of Vinod Kumar, in corruption cases linked to the ORHDC.
The Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, convicted Vinod Kumar, along with Swosti Ranjan Mohapatra, former Company Secretary; Pradeep Kumar Rout, former Accounts Officer; Satya Prakash Behera, former Junior Loan Officer; Janendra Swain, former System Analyst; Umesh Chandra Swain, former Recovery Assistant, of the ORHDC, and Sangram Keshari Sahoo, proprietor of M/s Ecstasy Builders & Developers Pvt. Ltd, Bhubaneswar.
They were charge-sheeted by Odisha Vigilance under Sections 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Sections 468, 471, 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code for misappropriation of government funds amounting to over Rs 52.95 lakh.
According to the prosecution, the accused officials abused their official positions and embezzled public funds earmarked for housing schemes for rural poors.
Earlier, Vinod Kumar was convicted in as many as 11, related to the ORHDC fraud.
