CBI gets sanction to prosecute former envoy, MEA official

New Delhi, Feb 7 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received sanction from the authority concerned to prosecute former Ambassador to Sudan Deepak Vohra and MEA Under Secretary Ajoy Ganguly, who have been accused of financial fraud in Indian diplomatic missions.

A source told that the agency got the prosecution sanction last week. This was furnished before the Rouse Avenue Court.

This is a case pertaining to inflated bills and hiring private persons, using private vehicles, and taking an office on rent to misappropriate government funds. Everything was allegedly hired for a higher price than the market price in Sudan to gain personal profit, as per the charges.

The CBI have got the sanction to prosecute Vohra under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 108 IPC which is an offence for abetting someone to do wrongful act. Against Ganguly, they have got sanction under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 120-B and 471 of the IPC.

The probe agency had earlier filed two closure reports in the matter which were rejected by a Special Judge Ajay Gulati, who held that there were sufficient materials on record to prove prima facie case against both the alleged accused, and that they had had hatched a conspiracy with Ravindra Prakash.

The CBI had said that due to lack of evidence, it was a tough job to bring home the guilt of the accused. But the court didn't buy their argument.

The court, after rejecting the CBI's closure report, had directed it to get approval from the authority concerned to proceed with the case.

Between October 2007 and May 2009, Ganguly was the Consul General of India at Juba, South Sudan, and accused of financial impropriety there.

The Vigilance Department of Ministry of External Affairs had lodged a complaint against them in 2011, and a CBI team probed the matter.

Ganguly, who has allegedly submitted false TA bills, purchased diesel and produced inflated bills, and hired a car even when an official vehicle was available there. However, in his statement recorded before the agency, Vohra had said that Ganguly was innocent, but did not respond to the other charges.