The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against three main defendants in the Kerala gold smuggling case, while one of them, Swapna Suresh, stated that his appointment at the Space Park was known for Prime Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
She said former CM secretary M Sivashankar asked her to apply for the position and then he told her that he will discuss it with CM and guarantee his appointment. She also told the agency that she met with the CM several times and was also close to her secretary, the charge sheet indicated.
The DE also made clear on the provisional charge sheet that a detailed investigation was needed against Sivashankar and his staff were in the process of collecting more digital evidence. He said a supplemental charge sheet will be submitted later.
After the gold smuggling case emerged, the CM distanced itself from its secretary saying that it was unaware of Suresh’s appointment to the key position. Later, his secretary Sivashankar, a senior officer, was suspended from service. Opposition parties later alleged that the CM got away easily after sacrificing its secretary.
When Swapna Suresh resigned from the UAE consulate, he had applied for the position of manager of the space park and gave Sivashankar’s reference, according to the charge sheet. And she applied for the job through consulting agency PricewaterCoopers, as directed by Sivashankar. She also introduced her to public accountant Venugopal Iyer, the charge sheet says. During the investigation, the Emergency Department had seized two kg of gold and one crore of coin from the closet jointly operated by Iyer and Suresh. Later, it also came to light that some of Suresh’s educational certificates were false.
The charge sheet also indicated that the three main defendants, Swapna Suresh, Sandeep Nair and Sarith, were involved in money laundering and owned huge properties and their source of income was mysterious. The Emergency Department rushed with the charge sheet as the three obtained a bond in the case registered by Customs.
The gold smuggling case is being investigated by many agencies, including the NIA. The current charge sheet was filed to prevent the defendant from obtaining bail, as he was in custody for more than 3 months.
At least 30 people were arrested in connection with the case that arose after the recovery of 30 kg of gold from a shipment that arrived at the UAE consulate in the state capital disguised as diplomatic baggage. The court had criticized the NIA on Monday and sought evidence for terrorism charges against the defendants. This is the first time that UAPA has been invoked in a smuggling case.
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