GUWAHATI, DEC 7: The CBI on Saturday chargesheeted former State Veterinary Secretary Prem Saran in the multi-crore Letters of Credit (LoC) scandal, accusing him of accepting ``illegal gratification'' to the tune of Rs 6.20 lakh from a businessman. Saran, who currently holds the post of State Administrative Reforms Commissioner, is the first IAS officer to be named in the scam.Among the others named in the charge-sheet which was filed in the court of Assam special judge, are three former directors of the State Veterinary Department, 12 other officers, and six businessmen. The three former Veterinary directors J C Saikia, R M Shome and G B Dutta, have been chargesheeted for issuing 12 LoCs to the contractors, thereby facilitating fraudulent withdrawal. With today's charge-sheet, the CBI completes its probe into 11 of the 12 cases handed over to it in 1994.
