Kannur (Kerala) | A court here has sentenced a former official of a SupplyCo supermarket under the state government to seven years rigorous imprisonment after convicting him in a corruption case.

Kannur Vigilance Court Judge K Ramakrishnan sentenced P Muhammad Ashraf, who was an Assistant Salesman at a SupplyCo supermarket, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh on Wednesday, VACB officials said on Thursday.

Though the accused was awarded a total of 17 years of rigorous imprisonment under various sections, the court ordered that the sentences would run concurrently.

In August 2012, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) registered a case against Ashraf, alleging that he had diverted Rs 14.25 lakh received from sales proceeds.

He allegedly failed to deposit the money from the supermarket's sales and misappropriated the amount, committing the offence, officials said.

Advocates Anoop K B, Arun Nath K, Jithin P and Ushakumari K appeared for the prosecution.

The accused was later shifted to jail, VACB officials added.