CHENNAI – A former minister and his wife have been sentenced to three years in prison in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Justice G Jayachandran of High court also slapped them with INR 5 million fine each. K Ponmudy and his spouse were found guilty earlier by high court, which handed down the punishment on Thursday.
Both of them were charged in 2011 by the DVAC for violating the Prevention of Corruption Act from 2006 to 2011, the period Ponmudy served as the minister of mines.
Ponmudy is the first minister from the ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to get a sentence related to corruption.
His 2016 acquittal by a special court (for matters against MPs/MLAs) in Villupuram was overturned by the high court on Tuesday and the appeal that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) filed in 2017 was granted.
The court ordered the pair to appear in person to determine the exact length of their sentence after finding them guilty on Tuesday.
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