Berhampur: The special vigilance court in Berhampur on Tuesday sentenced a 68-year-old retired junior engineer in Rayagada district to three years’ imprisonment for possession of disproportionate assets worth over Rs 16.35 lakh, about 18 years ago.Vigilance judge Gyanendra Kumar Barik also slapped a Rs 1 lakh fine on the convict, Ashok Kumar Padhy. He will go to jail for six months if he fails to pay the fine. The court pronounced the judgment after recording the statements of 26 witnesses, said Surendra Panda, special public prosecutor.He said vigilance sleuths found the disproportionate assets worth over Rs 16.35 lakh after raiding his house in 2008 and registered a case against him. Odisha vigilance will now move the competent authority for stoppage of Padhy’s pension following his conviction, sources said.
