Bhubaneswar, Sept. 1: A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation convicted a former managing director of Odisha Drug and Chemicals Ltd for misappropriation of funds here today. A consignment and forwarding agent of the company was also convicted in the same case.

The court sentenced former managing director of Odisha Drug and Chemicals Ltd (ODCL) Pradip Kumar Mukherjee and company agent Prem Kumar Lalwani to one-year’s rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 10000. Together, the two had embezzled more than Rs 8 lakh in 1997.

CBI officials said that Lalwani was appointed as the copany’s agent for Rajasthan by Mukherjee without the consent of the board of directors.

“Mukherjee had opened two accounts in two separate banks in Kota, Rajasthan, by giving false documents. Similarly, Lalwani had not paid the security deposit that was required to become an agent,” said a CBI official.

Officials also said that Mukherjee did not maintain the official records properly.

The CBI had lodged an FIR against Mukherjee and Lalwani on February 2004 and a chargesheet was subsequently filed in May 2005. The ODCL is a joint sector undertaking promoted by the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha and the Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited. It has its registered office at Mancheswar Industrial Estate of Bhubaneswar.

“The duo was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating),” said senior public prosecutor of CBI Kali Charan Mishra.

Two additional CBI special judge courts will be inaugurated in the city on Monday. At present, there are two courts of CBI special judge functioning in the city. CBI officials said that the additional courts would be helpful for speedy trial of the cases.