Ex-MP Geetha gets five years imprisonment for cheating Punjab National Bank of Rs 42 crore

 HYDERABAD : The Special Court for CBI cases on Wednesday sentenced BJP leader and former MP from Araku constituency in Andhra Pradesh, Kothapalli Geetha, and her husband Rama Koteswar Rao to five years Rigorous Imprisonment after finding them guilty of defrauding Punjab National Bank, a public sector bank, of `42.79 crore. Geetha and Koteswar Rao were also found guilty of three more offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for which they would have to serve an identical term in jail and pay fines totalling `1 lakh.

The sentences would run concurrently, the court said, adding that in case of default of payment of fine, they shall endure simple imprisonment for six months. The court also sentenced BK Jayaprakash and KK Aravindakshan, both officers of the bank, to five years imprisonment, and fine. The court also imposed a penalty of `2 lakh on Vishweshwara Infrastructure Private Limited. In its complaint, the Punjab National Bank accused the former MP and her husband of defrauding the bank.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered an FIR in 2015 and invest ig at ed the cas e. The investigation agency finally filed a chargesheet on February 17, 2021. The CBI, which investigated the case, said the accused gave wrong details to the bank and allegedly cheated the bank which led to the bank losing `42.79 crore.

Geetha was elected as an MP from the ST reserved Araku Lok Sabha constituency on YSR Congress Party ticket in the 2014 general elections. She launched a political party, Jana Jagruti, in August 2018 with the aim of challenging caste politics in Andhra Pradesh. In June 2019, Kothapalli Geetha joined the BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.