KOCHI: The main charge sheet presented by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday on the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case says that the first defendant Swapna Suresh met with M Sivasankar, former senior secretary to Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, several times in the presence of the chief minister and that the CM knew that she had been hired by Space Park, a state government agency.
The charge sheet was filed at the Special Court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in Ernakulam.
In his statement recorded on August 8, 2020, Swapna said that he met with Sivasankar eight times officially and many times unofficially. “She met with Sivasankar five to six times in the presence of Kerala’s chief minister. She was known to the CM as secretary to the consul general. She joined Space Park in November 2019,” the charge sheet read. Swapna reportedly told ED that she was selected at Space Park because “she was close to Sivasankar and trustworthy and trustworthy and her appointment was in the knowledge of the Kerala CM.
The 303-page charge sheet, accessed by TOI, includes 23 pages of the agency’s findings plus 19 sets of documents as evidence.
Sivasankar had asked him to meet with KSITTL’s Dr. Jayasankar and Special Officer Santosh in person to discuss his role and responsibilities at Space Park. “Sivasankar told him that he will discuss the matter with the CM and will do what is necessary. Thereafter, he received a call from Santosh asking him to join,” the charge sheet read.
The charge sheet also sheds light on the deals behind the Life Mission project. “She (Swapna) told Santosh Eappen from Unitac Builders to meet with Sivasankar, IAS, through whom he can connect with the CEO, Life Mission and get the necessary approval … accordingly they met with Sivasankar and they got approval, “he said. .
According to Swapna’s statement, it was given Rs 1.08 crore to facilitate the award of the contract. “It was decided that three million UAE dirhams would go to the consul general, Khalid (chief finance officer of the UAE consulate) and herself and the rest of the amount, 6% would be shared between Sandeep, Sarith (two other defendants in the case) and herself, “said the charge sheet.
The charge sheet requested permission to continue the investigation and submit a supplemental charge sheet. The main charge sheet was filed after the required 60-day period, but on Wednesday the ED objected to Swapna’s release on bail. The court will hear both parties on Friday and decide on the petition.
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