Three in-laws charged for reporting of false information

Corruption: The Phuentsholing dungkhag court will begin court proceedings of the six defendants, who were charged for the criminal offence of forgery and reporting of false information, early next month.

A court official said that the preliminary hearings, where charges framed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) are read out to the parties, will be conducted on February 4.

Of the six defendants, three in-laws of the former regional director of regional revenue and customs office in Phuentsholing, Choyzang Tashi, were charged for reporting false information to derail the investigation and protect their brother-in-law from criminal liabilities.

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) established that Choyzang Tashi with intention to deceive and defraud the state, knowingly and purposely forged his sister-in-law, Tenzin Dekar’s signature and made ‘three consecutive false instruments’- trade license application, authorization letter and undertaking letter, which were required while obtaining the license. He then submitted those false instruments to the Phuentsholing regional trade and industry office, which then issued trade license of Tee Dee Enterprise on May 4, 2005.

The defendant then leased out the trade license illegally to Rajiv Bhansali on monthly commission basis.

In her statement to ACC on July 17, 2015, Tenzin Dekar, however, stated that she filled up the trade application for the license. She also stated that she had not authorized anyone on her behalf to process her license. On the other hand, in her statement on July 19, she stated that she asked her brother-in-law to process the license.

Tenzin Dekar stated that after obtaining the license of Tee Dee Enterprise, she had given it to Rajiv Bhansali. “With the intention to derail the investigation and obstruct the justice, she persistently lied to the investigation’’, the OAG stated in  its charge-sheet.

Refuting her statement, Rajiv Bhansali stated that Choyzang Tashi discussed about the license and its dealership with him after which he obtained the license and had given him the license of Tee Dee Enterprise.

To save her brother-in-law from criminal liabilities, Tenzin Dekar also reported that the trade license of Sonam Beer Agency registered in the name of her mother, Sonam Zangmo, was processed and obtained by her father, Kinzang Dorji and then gave to Rajiv Bhansali as they were indebted to him.

Choyzang Tashi had processed and obtained the license by forging his mother-in-law’s thumbprint on the application form.

Kinzang Dorji, in order to fortify his son in-law stated that he obtained the trade license registered in the name of his wife and the thumb impression on the trade license was his wife’s.

He also stated that after obtaining the trade license, he leased it out to Raju (Alias Rajiv Bhansali). He even stated that he negotiated the commission of Nu 2,500 per month for leasing out the license.

His wife Sonam Zangmo also defended her son-in-law saying that the trade license was processed by her husband and leased out to Rajiv Bhansali.

Choyzang Tashi is charged for 15 counts of forgery and two counts of offences relating to the witness, while senior tax inspector in Paro, Kinley, is booked for seven counts of aiding and abetting charges. His son  is also charged for offence relating to the witness.

Rinzin Wangchuk

Advertisement