Bhutanese Home Minister Dasho Sherub Gyeltshen has resigned on Thursday following a High Court sentenced him to two months in prison, Kuensel reported. He also quit his parliamentary membership. 

The former minister, who had served 37 years in the civil service, had been sentenced last month in a case involving falsely claiming vehicle insurance worth $3000 years ago. Following the larger bench of the high court upheld his conviction, he tendered his resignation last month. 

On Thursday, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering accepted his resignation, ending his fifteen years of service at the ministry in different capacities. The speaker of parliament, too, has accepted his resignation from the house. 

His review petition in the Supreme Court is still pending.“We cannot comment on how the case will turn out. But any member of parliament can tender resignation whether there is a case or not,” Speaker Wangchuk Namgyel was quoted as saying by Kuensel.

Dasho said, “I thought maybe the case was interpreted wrong during the first verdict since it was based on only one judge but now about eight judges have studied the case and convicted.” He further added, “I may be wrong and I was involved in enacting laws, it’s not fair if I don’t respect the same laws.”

After resigning, he said he would continue to serve the nation as a citizen.