CBI court records Lalu Prasad Yadav's statement in fifth fodder scam case

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday recorded his statement in the ongoing fodder scam against him in a special CBI court. His statement was recorded before the court in connection with the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 139 crore from the Doranda treasury in Ranchi. A total of 34 questions were asked to Prasad during the trial by the special CBI judge (AHD) Sudhanshu Kumar Shashi in about three hours on Thursday, a CBI advocate told reporters.

Statements of 107 accused recorded

The Doranda Treasury case RC/47 has 575 witnesses and 111 accused, a CBI official said adding the investigating agency has filed charge sheets against 170 people. Prasad, who has been in jail since December 2017, is undergoing treatment for his illnesses at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi.

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So far statements of 107 accused out of the 111 have been recorded. Soon after the statement was recorded, Lalu Prasad's lawyer remarked that the judgement in the case will probably be pronounced in three months. 

READ | RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav Granted Bail In Deoghar Treasury Fodder Scam Case, Won't Come Out Of Jail Just Yet Though

Out of the six fodder scam cases in total, the former Bihar Chief Minister has been convicted in four of them whereas trial in the fifth case is currently underway. The RJD chief was awarded five years of jail term back in 2013 after being found guilty in the Chaibasa treasury. Later in January 2018, he was awarded up to 14 years in jail after being convicted in two more cases. 

The over Rs 900 crore fodder scam relates to fraudulent withdrawal of money from treasuries in the Animal Husbandry department in early 1990 when Bihar and Jharkhand were one state and the RJD was in power with Yadav the Chief Minister. He has been convicted for fraudulent withdrawal of money from Deoghar, Dumka and two Chaibasa treasuries.

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