A special CBI court on Wednesday sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav to five years imprisonment in the third fodder scam case.
Along with Lalu, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra was also sentenced to five years in prison.
The court also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh each on both convicts.
Earlier in the day, the court convicted Lalu and 50 others in the fodder scam case, which is related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 33.67 crore from Chaibasa treasury in 1992-1993.
CBI judge SS Prasad also found another former chief minister Jagannath Mishra and others guilty in the case.
Also Read: Fodder scam verdict: RJD chief, former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra sentenced to 5 years in jail
Former Bihar minister Vidyasagar Nishad, ex-Bihar Assembly PAC chief Jagdish Sharma, former MLAs Dhruv Bhagat and R K Rana and three ex-IAS officers were also among the 50 persons who were convicted.
The 69-year-old Prasad is currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Jail here in connection with another fodder scam case.
Of the total 76 accused, 14 had died, three turned approvers, one is absconding and two others were already convicted. Out of the remaining 56 accused, two government servants and four fodder suppliers were acquitted today.
Soon after the verdict, the RJD said the special CBI court order was not final and it would appeal in the high court and, if necessary, in the Supreme Court.
Also Read: Lalu Yadav convicted in third fodder scam case: All you need to know
Leader of the opposition in Bihar Assembly and Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav also accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP of framing his father.
"We have to abide by whatever is the court's ruling. But the CBI court order is not going to be final. We will appeal in the high court and, if need be, in the Supreme Court," Yadav said about his father's conviction in the third fodder scam case.
On January 6, the RJD leader was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs 10 lakh by a another CBI judge in a fodder scam case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury 21 years ago.
Prasad had been convicted in the first fodder scam case involving withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury on September 30, 2013 and given five years prison term.
He faces another two scam cases for illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.97 crore from the Dumka Treasury and Rs 184 crore from the Doranda Treasury.
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