The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Supreme Court in a judgement today upheld the decision of the High Court on the Gyelpozhing land case. The High Court in turn on 16th May 2013 had affirmed or upheld the Mongar District Court’s verdict on the Gyelpozhing Land Scam case.
After the High Court verdict the convicted had appealed to the Supreme Court.
As per the High Court verdict former National Assembly Speaker Jigme Tshultim was sentenced to 2 years and six months imprisonment for official misconduct, fraud, and deceptive practices.
The former Speaker was the Mongar Dzongda and Chairman of the plot allotment committee in 2001 and 2002 when the majority of the plots were allotted.
The former Home Minister Minjur Dorji and 13 Plot Allotment Committee Members were sentenced to a year of imprisonment for official misconduct.
All those sentenced can pay Thrimthue in lieu of imprisonment.
Earlier, the Mongar District Court had found the former National Assembly Speaker guilty of illegally allotting plots to 23 individuals during his term as the Mongar Dzongda and Chairman of the Plot Allotment Committee of Gyelpozhing in 2001 and 2002.The verdict read the plot allotted to his maid Nima Zangmo must be given back to the government.
The former Home Minister Minjur Dorji as found guilty of allotting plots to Kharchu Dratsang, Dremitse Dratsang and to Kuenzang Dema, the wife of a Kurichhu project engineer during his tenure as the Mongar Dzongda in 2005 and 2006, and also as the Chairman of the Plot Allotment Committee. The court ordered that these plots must be returned back to the government.
The 14 Plot Allotment Committee Members were given a one year sentence for not carrying their duties with diligence.
The district court had ruled that the Speaker and the Home Minister have failed to abide by the Fourth Druk Gyalpo’s Kasho issued back in 1987,and the allotment criteria set by the Works and Human Settlement Ministry.
