The Supreme Court has upheld the High Court’s judgment and sentenced former Korphu Gup, Sangay Khandu for embezzling over Nu 620,000 from the Korphu Gewog Environmental Conservation Committee fund. He has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison with the option to pay a fine in lieu of imprisonment. The judgment was passed in November last year.
The Environmental Conservation Committee was established to address human-wildlife conflicts at Korphu Gewog in Trongsa. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and the Zhemgang Forest Division allocated Nu 300,000 and Nu 200,000 for wildlife-related compensation in 2012 and 2016, respectively. However, no compensation was disbursed as the scheme could not be rolled out.
In 2018, the then Ministry of Agriculture and Forests directed the fund to be transferred to the National Crop and Livestock Insurance Fund. However, according to the judgment, Sangay Khandu had allegedly misused the funds for personal benefit.
The prosecution charged him under the Anti-Corruption Act and Penal Code, demanding him to repay over Nu 400,000 to the tiger conservation account, and over Nu 200,000 to two community contractors.
However, Sangay Khandu denied personal misuse, claiming that the funds were deposited in the consolidated account in accordance with financial norms.
The Trongsa District Court had acquitted Sangay Khandu of embezzlement charges due to insufficient evidence of intentional misuse.
However, the Office of the Attorney General appealed to the High Court where he was found guilty.
The Court stated that he withdrew the entire amount, deposited it into his personal account, and spent it within 16 months. He reimbursed the money only four years later after an audit reminder.
According to the High Court verdict, although he claimed the funds were used for community purposes, no evidence supported this. Instead, evidence revealed that he misused the money for personal expenses, violating the by-laws of the Gewog Environmental Conservation Committee framed in 2012.
The High Court sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, with the option to pay a fine in lieu of imprisonment.
Sangay Khandu then appealed before the Supreme Court. However, the court upheld the High Court’s judgment.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Sonam Pem
