Currency smuggling: Customs seeks MEA nod to interview UAE diplomats
KOCHI: The customs has sought permission from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to ‘interview’ the consul-general and the attaché at the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram to take forward the probe into the smuggling of $1.9 lakh by former consulate official. The customs has written to MEA in that regard as the duo’s statement is considered vital.
Sources said the accused persons —Swapna Suresh and Sarith P S, both former UAE consulate employees — stated that diplomats including consul-general Jamal Al Zaabi and admin attaché Rashid Khamis Al Sheimelli were involved in the smuggling of foreign currencies from Thiruvananthapuram to the UAE.
“As they enjoy diplomatic immunity, we have sought permission to interview them. Both are in the UAE currently. MEA has to communicate with the UAE government in this regard. Though we cannot charge them in the case, their statement is important to unravel the involvement of other influential persons in Kerala. If MEA permits us, we will travel to the UAE,” a customs official told TNIE.
In July, customs had approached MEA with a similar request in the case relating to the smuggling of gold using the diplomatic baggage.
“So far, there has been no response from MEA to our request. It seems the nod hasn’t been given considering the friendly diplomatic relations between India and the UAE. We have sent two or three reminders,” the official said.
Attaché Rashid is one of the key suspects in the gold smuggling case. He managed to return to the UAE after 30kg of gold found in a consignment sent in his name was intercepted at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in July. Consul-general Jamal, who returned to the UAE early this year, is suspected to have received a major share of the commission received as part of the controversial LIFE Mission project. Former UAE consulate finance head Khalid Ali Shoukry, an Egyptian national, travelled to Cairo with $1.9 lakh via Muscat on August 7, 2019.
The customs is set to record the arrest of Muvattupuzha native Rabins Hameed who was deported from the UAE and arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is investigating the terror funding aspect behind the gold smuggling incident. Rabins is currently in judicial custody. Customs will move the NIA court to record his statement under section 108 of the Customs Act before recording his arrest.