A Washington grand jury has indicted Former New York police Commissioner Bernard Kerik over making false statement to land on a top government job.

According to the indictment, Former New York police Commissioner Kerik collected around USD 225,000 in home renovations from contractors eying New York City businesses during his time as the police boss between 1998 and 2002.

Former US president George W. Bush had subsequently tapped him as the Secretary of Homeland Security in 2004 but Kerik pulled out of the selection owing to the issues surrounding his employment of a nurse without proper immigration documents.

Kerik's lawyer, Barry berke, said on Tuesday that the arraignment demonstrates "the latest example of the Department of Justice's overzealous pursuit of high-profile public figures."

Last December, he was also charged with tax evasion and failure to report benefits he received from companies seeking to run businesses in New York.

In 2006, he paid a fine of about USD 221,000 to escape a prison sentence.

Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, President Bush dispatched the former NYPD chief to Baghdad in order to train the Iraqi police.

The 53-year-old former commissioner has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his lawyer has expressed confidence about his vindication.

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