The High Court affirmed the Trongsa District Court’s judgment involving former Trongsa Dzongda Lhab Dorji and five other individuals in a land scam. The judgment was passed on Friday.
The former Dzongda was sentenced to five years in prison while his wife Karma Tshethrim Dema and former Draagteng Gup Tenzin were sentenced to a prison term of six years each.
Former Drangpon Ugyen Tenzin, former Surveyor Narayan Dangal and former Nubi Gup Phuntsho were sentenced to 18 months each. But they can pay in lieu of the prison term.
They appealed to the High Court in December 2019.
The Trongsa District Court convicted them of forgery, official misconduct and deception in a land case, last year.
The district court sentenced former Trongsa Dzongda to 13 years in prison for forgery, official misconduct and execution of documents by deception in the land scam case. But he was given a concurrent prison term of five years.
His wife Karma Tshethrim Dema and former Draagteng gup Tenzin were sentenced to 15 years each in prison. But they were given a concurrent prison term of six years each for forgery, solicitation and influencing the witness.
Similarly, former Drangpon Ugyen Tenzin was handed down an 18-months sentence for an attempt to forgery.
The court gave concurrent sentencing of 18 months each to former Surveyor Narayan Dangal and former Nubi Gup Phuntsho.
The Anti-Corruption Commission registered the case with the Trongsa District Court in 2017 after the Office of the Attorney General dismissed it saying the case did not merit criminal proceedings.
Tshering Zam
Edited by Sonam
