The special court for the prevention of corruption on Thursday sentenced Manoj Gaonkar, a suspended cashier of the Maharashtra Vidhan Mandal at the state secretariat, to seven years' imprisonment for possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs16.82 lakh.
Gaonkar was accused of misappropriating government funds and accumulating assets disproportionate to his known lawful income between March 1991 and December 2004.
The prosecution claimed that Gaonkar came under scanner during the audit. During the audit the officials found discrepancy involving a challan for Rs70,000 deposited in the treasury. Upon verification, it was found that only Rs7,000 had been credited, while Rs63,000 were misappropriated. A subsequent inquiry revealed large-scale misappropriation amounting to Rs52.35 lakh.
Subsequently, Vijay Joshi, Under Secretary and Control Officer of the Maharashtra Legislature Secretariat, ordered an inquiry. Gaonkar admitted to taking Rs10.88 lakh in cash and stated he would return any excess amount if found guilty in the inquiry. It was reported that he deposited Rs10.88 lakh with the state on April 5, 2005.
The prosecution claimed that during the investigation, Gaonkar's legal income was found to be Rs14.75 lakh, while his expenditure amounted to Rs15.32 lakh. Additionally, he possessed movable and immovable assets worth Rs15.95 lakh, including flats in Mira Road and Borivali, and land plots in Talegaon.
It was claimed that Gaonkar was convicted by the metropolitan magistrate court for misappropriation of funds in May 2018.
