KOCHI: In response to the opposition of the bail petition by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Ernakulam Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) asked the agency why it had not arrested Swapna Suresh, one of the accused in the LIFE Mission case.
The Special Court, on Friday, granted bail to Swapna Suresh and her co-accused, Sarith P S. It is worth noting that the same question had been raised by the High Court earlier.
Following a summons, Swapna and Sarith appeared before the court and subsequently filed bail petitions, as is customary in criminal cases after the charge sheet is filed. The defence counsel assured the court that both accused individuals would not flee and would appear whenever required by the court or the investigation officer.
The ED opposed the bail petitions of both accused individuals. In response, the court questioned why Swapna had not been arrested by the ED despite the presence of sufficient evidence against her. The court also inquired about the arrest of former bureaucrat M Sivasankar. The ED’s counsel claimed that Sivasankar was arrested because he failed to cooperate with the investigation, while Swapna and Sarith had been cooperative.
The court decided to grant bail to Swapna and Sarith, imposing certain conditions such as obtaining permission before leaving the country and cooperating with the investigation officer. The court also conducted a video conference with Sivasankar and another accused individual, Sandeep Nair, who were connected from jail. Their judicial custody term was extended until August 5. The court will soon proceed to frame charges against the accused.