Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Kerala Gold Smuggling CaseCNBCTV18

Synopsis: The court told the ED not to ask for Sivasankar’s custody again and produce him back on Wednesday at 11 a.m. on the expiry of the custody.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the alleged money laundering in the Kerala gold scandal, reported that former principal secretary M Sivasankar exchanged confidential information related to the LIFE Mission and K-FON projects to co-accuse Swapna Suresh. The project is the Kerala government’s housing scheme for the homeless and to provide free internet service to the needy.

This was submitted by the central agency to the Special Court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kochi, which extended Sivasankar’s custody until Wednesday for a further six days. Sivasankar was produced at the court on Thursday at the end of his seven-day custody.

The ED requested an extension of the suspended officer’s custody for seven more days when it was presented to the court.

Former principal secretary M Sivasankar
Deccan Chronicle

It was argued that the WhatsApp chat confiscated from their mobile phones between Swapna and Sivasankar showed that Sivasankar was exchanging sensitive government information about the LIFE Mission project and K-FON in order to share it with Unitac Builders and Developers, who had already confessed to paying Swapna and others a large amount of kickbacks. Sharing confidential government data by Sivasankar demonstrates that he is also a part of these shady deals. The ED also carried out a raid at the Pennar Industries office in Hyderabad, which was given a contract under the LIFE Mission for work in seven districts of Kerala and confiscated several incriminating materials that Sivasankar will confronted with.

The court asked the ED, whether it was investigating the money laundering behind the gold smuggling case or the project of the LIFE Mission. The court also asked the ED to track the ‘crime proceeds’ generated from the case of gold smuggling and whether it is linked to the LIFE Mission project. ED Special Prosecutor TA Unnikrishnan said that these projects are interlinked with an incident involving gold smuggling.

Senior lawyer B Raman Pillai, appearing for Sivasankar, argued that the ED is not interested in incidents involving gold theft, but in government ventures.

Furthermore, the court noted that Sivasankar is a senior bureaucrat and asked why his additional custody is being sought.

ED Special Prosecutor Unnikrishnan said he was not an ordinary man, but the Kerala Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary. He’s familiar with all the tricks to confuse them. Under the government of Kerala, he supervised the execution of important projects, including Smart City, LIFE Mission and K-FON. ED’s research has shown that Swapna has been involved with all these ventures in some way or other and they have documentary evidence for it.

Meanwhile, ED’s affidavit claimed that Sivasankar knew all the key accused in the case of gold smuggling, Sarith PS, Swapna and Sandeep. Sivasankar was also known to another person, Khalid, the Head of Finance of the UAE Consulate, who is a major beneficiary of the kickback earned from Unitac Builders. In denying his acquaintance with Khalid, Sivasankar attempted to deceive the investigation. He later confessed, however, to have known Khalid. It is also important to investigate this issue.