The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) forwarded the labour ministry’s overseas employment cases of Japan and India to the Thimphu District Court yesterday.
Seven individuals are charged, including the Labour ministry’s Director General (DG).
In the Japan overseas employment scheme involving Bhutan Employment Overseas and officials from the labour ministry, the OAG submitted to the court that the DG of the labour ministry’s Employment and Human Resouce department to be sentenced for a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years. The DG is accused of illegally assisting in the setting up of Bhutan Employment Overseas office. The OAG has also moved the court to sentence a programme officer under the DG’s department to a maximum of three years. He is accused of recommending the Ministry of Economic Affairs to issue a license without verifying the required documents.
However, there is no indictment against Bhutan Employment Overseas since a criminal case is under investigation with the Royal Bhutan Police.
In the India overseas employment scandal, the same DG is accused of failing to declare a conflict of interest, deception, and abuse of function. The OAG is requesting the district court to sentence the DG to a maximum of three years on each count.
In the same case, the OAG has requested to sentence the former labour minister to a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years on different counts of failure to declare assets, lying and deception, and abuse of function.
The OAG has submitted to the court to sentence two other individuals who assisted the former minister to a maximum of one year in prison. They are accused of keeping the property and paying loans in their name, which belongs to the former minister.
The OAG also requests the district court to sentence the former minister’s wife to a maximum of one year for being part of the scandal and the DG’s son to be sentenced to a maximum of one year.
