Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance Saturday filed a 3,000-page chargesheet against Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahy and his wife Sujata Panigrahy, in connection with a disproportionate assets (DA) case, a press release issued by Vigilance said.
The chargesheet was filed before the Vigilance Special Court in Bhubaneswar in relation to the cases filed against Panigrahi and his wife October 4, 2021 by the order of Odisha Lokayukta for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure as a public servant.
Vigilance officials conducted house searches as part of the inquiry. The sleuths seized materials, papers, and data regarding assets, income, and expenditure in the searches.
After the completion of the investigation, Panigrahy was found in possession of assets disproportionate to the tune of Rs 9.18 crore which he could not explain satisfactorily. His spouse was also found liable for abetting the offence, a Vigilance source said.
After examining the investigation report, the Lokayukta April 20, 2023 ordered for submission of the chargesheet against the couple before the Vigilance Special Court in Bhubaneswar. The 3,000-page chargesheet contains detailed evidence against the accused for their trial in the court of law, the press release stated.
It can be mentioned here that, Panigrahy was arrested in December 2020 on charges of forgery, criminal conspiracy, and cyber offences. Following his arrest, he was expelled from Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
PNN