KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering behind the Kerala gold smuggling case, on Friday served a notice to CM Raveendran, the additional private secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, asking him to appear for interrogation on December 10.
This is for the third time that the ED is serving a notice to Raveendran, who is considered close to the Chief Minister.
On two previous occasions, Raveendran did not turn up. He avoided the interrogation in the first time saying he contracted Covid-19 while in the second time he excused himself saying he was undergoing post-Covid treatment at a hospital.
Raveendran recovered from Covid-19 and was discharged from the hospital last week. "The notice was served directly to him. We expect him to appear this time. He is yet to respond to the notice. Mostly, his statement is to be recorded based on statements given by accused persons and some important witnesses in the case," the ED sources said.
Interestingly, the date on which Raveendran has been asked to appear at ED's Kochi office coincided with the second phase polling day of local body election in Kerala, which is being held in three phases viz December 8, 10 and 14.
The ED had earlier conducted a preliminary inquiry about investments and financial dealings of Raveendran at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Kannur. The ED also asked the State Registration Department to provide all details of immovable assets owned by Raveendran and his family members.
The Chief Minister's additional secretary's name surfaced following a statement given by accused Swapna Suresh to the agency. Swapna claimed that Raveendran used to contact her for visa stamping and certificate attestation works. The ED also suspects his involvement in several important projects like the LIFE Mission, the housing project for homeless, and K-FON, which promised to give high-speed internet connection to poor families.