Shillong, Aug 23: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is likely to have a re-look into the alleged misappropriation of over Rs 34 lakh shares on royalty of the Council’s forest department.

“We are proposing to reopen this case but the decision will be taken after due consultation with our legal advisers,” KHADC’s chief Hispreaching Son Shylla told reporters here on Thursday.

It may be mentioned that the chief forest officer (CFO) of the KHADC, T Saiborne was suspended following an inquiry report submitted by the Additional Judge of the District Council’s Court SB Laitthma to the Executive Committee (EC) in December last year. The report charged him “guilty” of corruption.

This was the second inquiry that was instituted by the KHADC to probe into the misappropriation of Council funds.

It had charged the suspended CFO guilty of criminal negligence (in maintaining proper internal financial control being the head of the department), criminal conspiracy (to deliberately defraud the Council), dereliction of duty, collusion in criminal act etc.

Laitthma in her report has also recommended disciplinary action against Saiborne as the KHADC Service Rules which however is yet to be taken up by the executive committee till date.

Earlier on March 27, last year, along with Saiborne, three others including the Under Secretary B Lyngdoh, DCFO M Lyngdoh and a plantation chowkidar Franklin Khymdeit were also put under suspension by the KHADC.

Before this, Khymdeit was first suspended on November 2, when the CFO brought to the notice of the Council on the detection of the misappropriation of the 50 per cent share which was supposed to be deposited in the KHADC’s bank account at Meghalaya Rural Bank.

However as per findings of the inquiry report submitted by Laitthma, the suspension against the three officials of the forest department was lifted.

It may be mentioned here that the first inquiry report was submitted by the Joint Secretary to the EC of the KHADC DG Syiemiong which has in it the three “written confession letters” of the plantation chowkidar Franklin Khymdeit on the misappropriation of the Council funds.

“I confess truthfully that I have misappropriated the said amount of the office money belonging to forest department, district council,” Franklin Khymdeit, the plantation chowkidar said in his statement before the joint secretary to the EC & Inquiry officer of the KHADC.

A similar written confession statement was also submitted by Khymdeit to the then Secretary to the KHADC’s EC B Basaiawmoit on September 26, 2016.

It may be also mentioned here that Saiborne had also expressed dissatisfaction against the inquiry report which charged him of misappropriation of over Rs 34 lakh shares on royalty of the Council’s forest department.

Alleging the report to be “bias” he said the inquiry has failed to take into consideration the evidences (given by joint secretary who conducted the first inquiry into the matter) but has instead put on one person guilty of all the charges framed by then KHADC’s EC secretary.