3-yr jail, 27 lakh fine for ex-BSNL AGM for graft

A special CBI court in Ahmedabad has convicted a former senior BSNL official for possession of disproportionate assets (DA) and sentenced him three-year imprisonment besides slapping a fine of Rs 27 lakh.
Kiran Premchand Patel, former assistant general manager, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), in Gujarat's Bhavnagar has been convicted for DA to the tune of 29.84 lakh, which was 148 per cent of his income during the check period of January 1997 to January 2004, CBI officials said here today.
CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said the agency had registered a case against Patel, his wife and son (both private persons) who had acquired disproportionate assets during the check period.

Gaur said that after investigation, charge sheet was filed on August 25, 2006 against the accused persons in the designated court at Ahmedabad which has accepted the evidence proving DA, and imposed a fine of Rs 27 lakh against them.
His wife and son have been acquitted by the competent court, he said.