Jailed Lalu appears in another fodder scam case

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, who has been lodged in Ranchi jail after being awarded five years sentence in a fodder scam case, Monday attended court proceedings through video link in another case related to the scam.

Lalu Prasad appeared before a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge in a case related to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.97 lakh from the then undivided Bihar's animal husbandry department treasury at Deoghar. After Bihar's division, the treasury was transferred to Jharkhand.

The court would next hear the case Nov 12.

The fodder scam cases revolves around alleged fraudulent withdrawal of money from government treasury using forged letters and spurious bills, raised without the actual supply of medicines and instruments, the CBI said.

Lalu Prasad, former chief minister of Bihar, was sentenced to five years in prison Oct 3 by a CBI court in Ranchi for illegal withdrawal of Rs.37.70 crore from Chaibasa treasury from 1994-95. He was also slapped with a fine of Rs.25 lakh.

He was convicted for forgery, cheating, falsification of accounts and conspiracy Sep 30.

Lalu Prasad will appear in another special CBI court Tuesday.

He quit as the Bihar chief minister in 1997 when his name figured in the CBI investigation in the scam. The probe agency made him an accused in five fodder scam cases.