Kolkata: Former footballer and present East Bengal technical director (TD) Subhas Bhowmick was convicted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Alipore on Monday in a bribery case in which he was arrested nearly 13 years ago. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment also.
The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakhs on Bhowmick, who, however prayed for his bail referring to his health condition. In a major relief the East Bengal TD was granted the bail against a bond of Rs 1 lakh. But the court’s order has left the reputed football club in a tight spot.
Last time East Bengal faced a massive embarrassment when its top official Debu Sarkar was arrested by the CBI for his alleged role in the multi-crore Saradha scam in August of 2014.
Although Mr Bhowmick did not speak to the media about his conviction and sentencing, sources revealed that he may move the Calcutta High Court against the order. Mr Bhowmick can move the high court within September 18 challenging the lower court’s order, according to sources.
Significantly when Mr Bhowmick was arrested on December 2 in 2005 he was then with East Bengal too as its football coach.
At that time he was posted as a superintendent at the central excise department. Allegations surfaced against him that he demanded around Rs 4 lakhs from a reputed Kolkata based company as bribe for a deal to clear the excise duty following his raid to the company owner’s residence.
After much bargaining, the amount was scaled down to Rs 1.5 lakhs which Mr Bhowmick had to collect from an official of the company which however lodged a complaint against him with the anti corruption branch (ACB) of the CBI meanwhile.
When Mr Bhowmick was collecting the bribe in cash after coming out of a reputed club in south Kolkata, he was caught by the ACB officers.
But Mr Bhowmick physically abused some of them before getting himself arrested under the charges of the Prevention of Corruption Act finally.
He later served few months in jail also.
