Penjore Penjore pleads ‘not guilty’

In his rebuttal, Penjore Penjore submitted to the court that the two charges that were dropped – official misconduct and failure to report crime is the main issue.

Penjore Penjore also submitted for compensation for arresting and detaining him for 16 days in his rebuttal.

This is regarding the ongoing defamation cases between a businessman Penjore Penjore and the Office of the Attorney General.

According to his rebuttal, he states that the OAG prosecuted and sentenced the 12 employees of Bhutan National Bank Limited (BNBL) while the issue found by Royal Audit Authority, investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission and reported to the Royal Bhutan Police, it was not for the Office of the Attorney General to drop the two charges against BNBL executives.

“If 12 of the BNBL’s employees are proved of wrongdoing, there is no space to say ‘lack of evidence’ for OAG and drop the charges. There is an element of crime and as a citizen, it is our fundamental duty to report crime as per Article 8, Section 9 of the Constitution,” said Penjore Penjore. Penjore Penjore stressed that ‘the BNBL executives must be charged for official misconduct and failure to report crime as it is the main issue, otherwise there is collusion’.

On his Facebook post on his page, he reiterated that his post was for public interest and his post was based on media reports, and not his own. “People should report facts, and what I wrote is not misinformation, therefore, it is not defamation,” he said.

He also submitted to the court that Attorney General must be held accountable, otherwise there is a chance for setting a bad precedent. He also adds that if BNBL executives are set scot-free, there is a chance in the future other banks may come across similar issue, commit the crime and ask for pardon. “This will lead to lawlessness,” he adds.

It is contradictory, he said, pointing that 12 employees of BNBL were terminated and sentenced a year to prison for forgery but OAG dropped the case against BNBL executives when there is obviously crime.

He highlighted that ‘lack of evidence’ and dropping the charges against BNBL executives was a ‘shocker’ for him, this made him to incorporate words like: “Shocking Bigger Crime at the Bhutan’s OAG Level- A guilty Secret Cheating Case through Collusion- A National Shame”, “DANGEROUS and greater corruption happening in the OAG” and “Bhutan completely into NoW converting Bhutan as a complete lawless Country in the eyes of the World……Monstrous Wrongdoing of OAG is not corrected immediately.”

Following this alleged defamation case, Penjore Penjore claims he was arrested and detained for 16 days, for this, Penjore Penjore said: “I should be compensated for detaining me for 16 days.”