The former Senior Executive of Druk PNB, Kinley Penjor, who is allegedly involved in fraudulent remittance of Indian currency from Bhutan appealed to the Supreme Court last month. The High Court convicted Kinley to a concurrent prison term of three years. The high court found him guilty of assisting an Indian vegetable vendor, Pramod Kumar Shah, in fraudulent remittance of rupees. The High court also sentenced Pramod to a concurrent prison term of three years.
As per High Court’s judgment passed last month, Kinley Penjor assisted Pramod in fraudulent remittance of Rupees from Druk PNB to various parties in India since 2012. In return, he received over Nu 500,000. Kinley also allowed Pramod to use his licenses to import vegetables. Besides, Pramod was found using several other Bhutanese licenses to import vegetables from India.
As per the record with the customs Office in Phuentshogling, Pramod imported vegetables worth more than Nu 40 M between 2012 and 2014. However, the ACC’s investigation found that he remitted over a Nu 100 M, an excess of more than Nu 63 M over the actual imported value.
Pramod was found guilty of remitting the money in the form of INR Demand Draft and Telegraphic Transfer from Bhutan by deception, collusion, forgery, bribes, and fronting. The high court ordered the two guarantors of Pramod to bring him back to the country within 10 days or pay Thrim-thue instead of his prison terms.
According to sources, the guarantors paid the thrim-thue. The ACC came to know about the case in 2014 when ACC was investigating a separate case related to immigration and workers in the country.
Kinley Dem
Edited by Sangay Chezom
