A court today sentenced former Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and a former Cabinet minister to three years in prison for bribery and corruption.
Published:
13 October 2000 y., Friday
A court today sentenced former Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and a former Cabinet minister to three years in prison for bribery and corruption.
Rao, 79, and former Home Minister Buta Singh also were fined $2,150 for bribing legislators in 1993 to back Rao in a crucial confidence vote. Rao's government survived that vote.
"I hereby sentence the accused P.V. Narisimha Rao and Buta Singh to rigorous imprisonment up to three years and a fine of 100,000 rupees ($2,150)," special court judge Ajit Barihoke said.
Rao and Singh also received bail until November 8, to allow them time to appeal the convictions and sentences. Defense lawyers said they would file appeals. Rao and Singh had faced maximum sentences of seven years in jail.
The two were convicted on September 29 of criminal conspiracy, bribery and corruption. Nine other defendants had been acquitted. Rao, who held office from 1991-96, is the first Indian prime minister to be convicted in a criminal case.
Rao became prime minister in elections after Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991. Rao was credited with launching India's free-market reforms. In 1996, Rao led the Congress Party to its worst election defeat in 111 years. He resigned after that loss.
Šaltinis:
europe.cnn.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Bishops told to take hard line on issue of gender
more »
A bomb targeting a casino owner exploded under a car on a busy restaurant street in the Czech capital Sunday
more »
On August 1, 1944, Polish partisans began a battle to retake Warsaw from its Nazi occupiers
more »
Oscar-winning US film director Michael Moore publicly invited US President George W. Bush on Tuesday to attend the screening of his Bush-bashing documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" in Bush's hometown in Texas
more »
Latvia's decision to join the European Union may be swaying more Latvians in the West to repatriate, according to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs
more »
ETA suspects held in Spain, may have planned attacks
more »
A suspected member of a Kurdish militant group Kawa, on the wanted list in Turkey for manslaughter, has appealed against his detention in Estonia, officials said on Tuesday
more »
President Lukashenka said on 22 July that the demonstration to mark the 10th anniversary of his becoming president was "yet another display of the brainlessness of our opposition"
more »
Bulgaria on Wednesday rejected the ultimatum of a group calling itself the “Al Qaeda organisation in Europe” which threatened to attack both Bulgaria and Poland unless they withdrew their troops from Iraq
more »
Pope John Paul II will personally examine a sex and pornography scandal engulfing the Austrian Catholic church
more »