Corruption case: CBI Special Court sends ONGC official to jail for three years

Ahmedabad/New Delhi: Almost 18 years after an ONGC official was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for possession of disproportionate assets, Special CBI Judge, Ahmedabad, on Monday sentenced him to three years’ Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) along with fine a of Rs 25 lakh.

Kishanram Hiralal Sonkar, the then Manager, F&A, ONGC, Ankleshwar Asset, was accused by the CBI of amassing disproportionate assets during his four-year tenure in the office from 2002 to 2006.

The CBI had registered the corruption case on June 29, 2006, against Sonkar, according to a statement.

The probe agency alleged in its FIR that while working as Manager, F&A, ONGC, Ankleshwar Asset, Ankleshwa, Sonkar accumulated assets to the tune of Rs 14.11 lakh between 2002 and 2006.

The investigating agency alleged that during his service, between October 1, 2002, and June 21, 2006, the assets amassed by him were 84 per cent more than his known source of income, raising doubts about corrupt practices.

After the completion of the investigation, a chargesheet was filed by the CBI on January 24, 2008.

During an investigation two years after the registration of the FIR, the CBI found more details about the corrupt practices in ONGC.

The chargesheet filed in court against then Manager, F&A, ONGC, Ankleshwar Asset, accused him of amassing assets to the tune of Rs 22.15 lakh disproportionate to his known source of income between 2000 and 2006.

The federal agency compared his official salary and conducted a valuation of his assets. The CBI investigators found that during the check period from January 1, 2000, to July 1, 2006, his assets were 62 per cent in excess of his known source of income.

On the conclusion of the prolonged trial, the Special CBI court in Ahmedabad found the accused guilty under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sentenced him accordingly.