KOCHI: Linking M Sivasankar with the gold smuggling ploy, the Enforcement Directorate has revealed that an April 2019 cargo addressed to the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram was released without prising it open and examining the contents, despite the instructions of top customs officials. The incident in question took place barely days after M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to the chief minister, had contacted a senior customs official.
An ED source said the agency will record the statement of more customs officials to establish whether Sivasankar had called up customs officials in connection with baggage clearance .Opposing the bail plea of Sivasankar, the ED in a report submitted before the Kerala High Court stated that it has summoned one official from the assessment unit of Customs department and recorded the statement in which she made it clear that during April 2019 she had ordered that the entire shipment of cargo addressed to the UAE consulate be opened and examined. Heeding this order, the officer admitted that she released the cargo without opening or examining it.
Sivasankar had in a statement given to the ED on October 15 admitted that he did speak to a senior customs official and made the request on the wishes of Swapna Suresh. This amounts to abuse of office and interference in the official working of another government department. Such intervention by Sivasankar clearly sends a message to the authorities concerned that Swapna had a strong link with the Chief Minister’s Office.
This had played a crucial role in allowing diplomatic cargo to pass through unexamined even when the authorities suspected the contents. On the involvement of the CMO in the gold smuggling case, Swapna has confirmed in her statement given before the ED on November 10 that Sivasankar spoke with the airport and customs authorities three or four times for the clearance of diplomatic cargo. The ED also stated that Sivasankar was not only involved in illegal gold smuggling through the diplomatic channel but had assisted prime accused Swapna Suresh to launder her tainted money with the help of his chartered accountant Venugopal.
Refuting the allegation, Jaideep Gupta, senior SC Advocate, appearing for Sivasankar submitted that there was no allegation of gold smuggling in April 2019. Admittedly it had started in November 2019, he added. The ED also stated that Sivanakar had been paid kickbacks by Unitac, which undertook the construction of houses under the LIFE Mission project. He was supervising the implementation of the project in his capacity as principal secretary. The kickbacks were paid for facilitating the award of one of the contracts for LIFE Mission.