Bhubaneswar, Jan 25: Former IAS officer and ex-Managing Director of Orissa Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC), Vinod Kumar, has been pronounced guilty for the eighth time in a corruption case by the vigilance court.

Vinod Kumar, along with four other former ORHDC officials, namely Swasti Ranjan Mohapatra, ex-Company Secretary; Pradeep Kumar Rout, ex-Accounts Officer; Satyaprakash Behera, ex-Junior Loan Officer; and Jnanendra Swain, ex-Assistant System Analyst, have all been convicted in the case. They have been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment.

The court has also mandated a fine of Rs. 50,000 for each of them. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment on each count under the offences mentioned in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Both sentences will run concurrently, as stated by the vigilance authorities.

The five ORHDC officers from Bhubaneswar were found to have abused their official positions, dishonestly approving and disbursing individual loans under the pretext of fraudulent documentation, considering non-existent house property income, and disregarding financial powers delegated by the Board of Directors of ORHDC. The court highlighted their actions as a violation of legal advice provided by the ORHDC Legal Retainer.

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