By IANS,
Shillong: A case was lodged Friday against 15 Meghalaya legislators who were indicted for submitting “fake and inflated bills” amounting to Rs.1.67 crore to convert a one-day study trip to London into a 10-day holiday in Europe.
The Steering Committee Against Murder of Democracy (SCAMOD), a congolmeration of 15 organisations, lodged the complaint of crminal breach of trust against the 15 legislators and two assembly officials.
In its reports, the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) revealed that 15 legislators and two Meghalaya assembly secretariat staff produced fake expenditure bills to claim an extra Rs.1.67 crore on a day’s study tour of British Parliament in London in 2006. The one-day study tour later turned out to be 10-day trip to Holland, France and Italy.
The SCAMOD have set set a two-week deadline to the police to complete the probe and take necessary action against those involved.
The FIR, however, did not name anyone, as the CAG reports also did not mention the names of the legislators and the officials.
“We are astounded over the existence of a pre-meditated conspiracy to rob, steal and cheat the public of its rights and justice as provided by the Constitution of India,” SCAMOD spokesman Toki Blah told journalists.
He said that the breach of trust is a criminal offence when the trustees dishonestly misappropriate and convert the assets for their own benefits.
“The CAG report vindicates that not only public funds were misappropriated, but the those involved in the crime did not think that the amount misappropriated should have been used for development works,” said Blah, a retired IAS official.
Stating that if no action is taken within two weeks, Blah said SCAMOD will have no other option than to put more pressure on the government for necessary action.
On March 22, Meghalaya assembly Speaker Charles Pyngrope referred the matter to the Public Accounts Committee, the most powerful committee of the assembly, to examine the CAG’s observation on the “inflated and fake bills” and submit a report.
The opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had even asked Chief Minister D.D. Lapang to drop Martin M. Danggo, the then speaker and now rural development minister from the cabinet for “misuse of public money” as exposed in the CAG report.
Danggo had led the 17-member delegation on tour of Europe.