KOZHIKODE: A Vigilance Court in Kannur on Wednesday sentenced a Lower Division Clerk in Wayanad to 36 years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 lakh in connection with three separate corruption cases.
M Sivan, 50, had served as LD clerk at Meenangadi Community Health Centre in Wayanad from 1997 to 2003. During this period, he was found guilty in three cases relating to embezzlement of funds. Sivan is still in service as an LD clerk with the Health Department in Wayanad as he was denied promotion due to the pending cases.
The probe by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau found that Sivan had used fraudulent means, including forging of signatures, to embezzle 84,539 from employees. The amount was siphoned off from the leave surrender, provident fund, DA and other arrears of the employees.
In the first case, Sivan was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 30,000. In the second and third cases, he was sentenced to 12 years each in prison and fined 30,000 and 60,000 respectively. According to a Vigilance spokesperson, the judgment does not specify that the sentences would run concurrently, which means the convict will have to spend a total of 36 years behind bars.
The investigation in the three cases was carried out by K K Markos and M Sulfikar, formerly with Wayanad Vigilance unit. The charge sheet in the case was submitted by the then Vigilance DySP K K Abdul Hameed. Vigilance Additional Legal Advisor Shailajan appeared on behalf of the prosecution.