Tainted IAS officer Vinod Kumar's loan fraud case hearing on Sep 24

Bhubaneswar: Senior IAS officer and former director of Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC), Vinod Kumar who was convicted of financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 55 lakh earlier in August this year, will face another trial for his involvement in a loan fraud case.

The hearing will be done at a special Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

According to sources, Kumar along with six others have been charged of defrauding nearly Rs 1.02 crore from OHRDC in the name of giving flats to as many as 27 people.

Kumar who was the MD of ORHDC during 2001, Biswal Constructions director Bijay Biswal and five other officials of the corporation have been accused of furnishing fake certificates and abuse of power and will face the trial.

Recently, Kumar along with the then executive director (technical) of OHRDC Purna Chandra Das, assistant manager Sanjay Mohanty, accounts officer Pradip Rout, accountant Chitta Mallick and secretary of Gramya Bikash Manch, Asish Das were convicted by the court under section 13 (2), 13(1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 420 and 120 of IPC in connection with financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 55 lakh in the corporation in 2000. They were each awarded 3-year jail term.

Reports claim that as many as 22 financial irregularities and disproportionate asset cases are pending against the senior IAS officer.