Supreme Court Suspends Jail Sentence of Congress Leader Mohammed Moquim in ORHDC Scam Case

Bhubaneswar: Congress leader Mohammed Moquim received a respite as the Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended his 3-year prison sentence in Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC) loan scam case.

“Issue notice. Standing counsel accepts notice on behalf of the State….Post the matter for hearing…Having heard the senior counsel for the parties and taking into consideration all the attending circumstances, the sentence of the petitioner is ordered to be suspended subject to his bail bonds,” the Supreme Court said in its order.

On April 10, the Orissa High Court had upheld a lower court’s verdict that had sentenced Moquim to three years of imprisonment in the case. Challenging the High Court Order, he had approached the Supreme Court.

A Special Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar had convicted and awarded him three years of rigorous imprisonment in the loan scam case.

Moquim was the Managing Director of Metro Builders Private Limited during the alleged scam. It was alleged that he was involved in obtaining pecuniary advantage in favour of the company in guise of loans meant for rural poor from ORHDC.