Gelegphu Dungkhag court sentenced former Gelegphu Dungpa Pema Wangdi to 15 years in prison for embezzelment, commission amount to abuse of function and abuse of privilege information.
He is also found guilty of corruption, forgery, omission, official misconduct, bribery, solicitation and lying in the court. The former Dungpa will have to refund about Nu 6m for the Losel Cinema Hall in Gelegphu, corruption in cinema hall management and hot spring renovation work.
The court also sentenced Sonam Norbu, former Dungkhag Administrative Assistant to 8 years in prison. He is charged for embezzlement, forgery, passive bribery, aiding and abetting. He was asked to refund Nu 1m for misuse of cinema hall fund.
Both of them cannot pay in lieu of imprisonment.
The Dungkhag court also sentenced 18 other individuals to prison term ranging from three months to five years. Among them are three contractors, whose licenses were cancelled. The contractors were involved in forgery and deceptive practice in the construction of Indo-Bhutan boundary wall, hot spring and Sershong crematorium renovation projects.
Meanwhile the court acquitted two alleged accomplices of former Dungpa.
