Nagaland suspends FOCUS-IFAD officials under CBI scanner

DIMAPUR — The three officials involved in a graft case in the state FOCUS-IFAD have been suspended and the case handed over to the Nagaland Lokayukta.

Speaking on the sidelines of a programme in Dimapur on Wednesday, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said that the officials were apprehended with cash at the Delhi airport, prompting the involvement of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) due to the jurisdiction.

Subsequently, the CBI conducted raids at the Fostering Climate-resilient Upland Farming Systems (FOCUS)-International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) office at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima, on Feb. 8 this year.

Regarding the state government’s response to the case, Rio stated that they have suspended the officers involved and transferred the case to the Nagaland Lokayukta, where the process is underway. He emphasised that the state government co-operated with the CBI, given that the jurisdiction of the arrest was in Delhi.

The officials involved included an Additional Secretary (IAS), Department of Agriculture, a Deputy Conservator of Forest and a Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Department of Animal Husbandry.