Former customs superintendent sentenced for disproportionate assets

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has sentenced a former Superintendent of Customs and his wife to four years in prison for disproportionate assets. This decision overturned a previous court ruling that had acquitted them. V. Govindaswamy, the main accused, worked in customs from 1987 until 2012. He and his wife, V. Geetha, were investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after large sums of cash and property documents were found during searches of their assets. The CBI claimed that between 2002 and 2012, they accumulated ₹1.10 crore in assets that greatly exceeded their known income. In 2018, a trial court cleared the couple of all charges. However, the CBI appealed this decision, leading to the recent court hearing. Justice K.K. Ramakrishnan ruled that the prosecution had provided enough evidence to prove their case. He criticized the former customs official’s actions and warned against corruption, stating it can start at home. In addition to prison time, the court fined Govindaswamy ₹75 lakh and his wife ₹25 lakh. Since Govindaswamy is scheduled for surgery soon, the court granted both of them a 20-day leave from prison. They must report to the Madurai prison authorities by April 10.