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Representative photo. Image credit - NDTV.com

The special judge for Prevention of Corruption Act in Aizawl sentenced three government employees in Mizoram, one of them a retired person and a supplier in a graft case to imprisonment.

The court sentenced the two government employees and the pensioner to two years’ imprisonment while the supplier was sentenced to one year in jail.

The convicts were involved in the withdrawal of Rs 35.85 lakh with fake bills for procurement of silpaulin sheets in 2006.

The court of special judge Vanlalenmawia convicted former director of disaster management rehabilitation department PC Lalthlamuana (75), in-charge of the departmental store R Vanlalhmuaka (55) and cashier Lalhmingliani (58) on February 12.

The court pronounced the quantum of punishment on Monday.

The judge also sentenced Thanzami Tochhawng, 76, owner of the Glamour Floria, the authorised dealer of silpaulin in the state for one year.

Being elderly people, the judge allowed them bail giving them the opportunity to appeal in the higher courts.

In connection with the graft case, an FIR was filed at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on February 27, 2013 by one person, who alleged misappropriation of funds in the state disaster management and rehabilitation department by withdrawal of Rs 35.85 lakh using fake bills.

The ACB sleuths investigated the case and submitted chargesheet on September 19, 2014 and supplementary sheet on May 31, 2016 in which six people were indicted in the case.

The court dropped the case against an employee of the department, who died during the trial and also against another official due to lack of evidence.