Only ‘hidden agenda’ was to loot public money: Judge
Ranchi: RJD president Lalu Prasad was on Thursday sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a special CBI court in a 17-year-old fodder scam case which disqualifies him from Parliament and renders him ineligible to contest elections for at least six years.
65-year-old Prasad, who was convicted on corruption and other charges four days ago, was also fined Rs 25 lakh by CBI Judge Pravas Kumar Singh who announced the quantum of punishment through video conferencing with the Birsa Munda Central Jail.
Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, who is in hospital, was sentenced to four years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
Prasad claimed through video conference that he was innocent.
Hidden agenda: High level politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen had connived together in the Rs 900 crore fodder scam with only one “hidden agenda” to loot public money, a special CBI Court said.
The court said this in its 475-page verdict in the fodder scam.
“High level politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen connived together and entered into a criminal conspiracy for fraudulent withdrawal of public money by way of forging several documents in virtually making a loot of public money with only one ‘Hidden Agenda’,” Judge said. (PTI)