P. Ramakrishnan, former regional passport officer in Malappuram, was convicted by the CBI Court in Ernakulam on Wednesday in a bribery case dating back to 2015.
The special judge sentenced him to a cumulative rigorous imprisonment of five years and a fine of ₹3,10,000 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988.
The case was that Mr. Ramakrishnan, while he was working as regional passport officer, demanded a bribe of ₹50,000 from the complainant through a tout, Abdul Ameer TT, who turned approver in the case, in lieu of issuing a new passport. The CBI caught them in July 2015, while they were accepting the bribe from the complainant, according to a press release issued by the agency.
A case was registered by the anti-corruption wing of the CBI in Kochi and a chargesheet was filed in court against Mr. Ramakrishnan and Mr. Abdul Ameer a year later. Later, the court granted pardon to Mr. Abdul Ameer.
