Patna: A special vigilance court in Bhagalpur on Friday convicted former Madhepura district cooperative officer Paras Nath Prasad in a 16-year-old bribery case related to the registration of a cooperative society. The court found him guilty under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and remanded him to judicial custody. The hearing on the quantum of sentence is scheduled for Oct 31.According to the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB), the case stemmed from a complaint filed by Ajay Ranjan of Navtoliya village in Madhepura. Ranjan alleged that Prasad had demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 for registering Pragya Krishak Seva Swavalambi Cooperative Society Limited.Acting on the complaint, the VIB laid a trap and arrested Prasad on June 23, 2010, while he was allegedly accepting Rs 35,000 as part of the demanded bribe. The court of Special Vigilance Judge Deepak Kumar-I held Prasad guilty under Sections 7 and 13(2), read with Section 13(1)(d), of the Prevention of Corruption Act.The prosecution examined nine witnesses during the trial. The chargesheet was filed by then VIB DSP Amritendu Shekhar Thakur following the investigation.Ram Badan Kumar Chaudhary, in-charge special public prosecutor for vigilance in Bhagalpur, represented the state during the trial. The sentence hearing on Saturday will determine the punishment to be awarded to the former officer.
