KOCHI: The customs is set to arraign former principal secretary M Sivasankar as an accused in the case relating to the smuggling of $1.9 lakh by UAE Consulate employee and Egyptian national Khalid Ali Shoukry through the Thiruvananthapuram airport in August 2019.
Customs officers believe Sivasankar knew that Khalid was travelling to Cairo via Muscat carrying US dollars illegally on August 7, 2019, a top official with the central agency said. Investigators suspect that Sivasankar accompanied Khalid and the other accused — Swapna Suresh and Sarith P S — to Muscat and later to Dubai. To confirm the same, the customs had sought travel details from Sivasankar when he was questioned last month.
Sivasankar may be made respondent
The IAS officer had promised to produce documents from the travel agency, but no such detail has yet been submitted to the customs.“During interrogation, Sivasankar claimed that the trip was for other purposes. However, we suspect that all four persons were together in Muscat. Sivasankar stayed at a luxury hotel which he couldn’t have afforded,” the customs official said.
The customs had planned to arrest Sivasankar last month. However, on the way to the customs office, he was admitted to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The agency will now record his statement under section 108 of the Customs Act after his custody with the Enforcement Directorate expires on Wednesday.
“He will be made a respondent in the case based on his statement. A decision on the arrest will be taken later. His health will also be considered before recording his arrest,” the source said.
Swapna had admitted that those accused in the gold smuggling case had held a meeting in Dubai in August 2019. The customs is probing whether Sivasankar was present at the meeting.“Currently, we have enough evidence to arraign him as an accused in the currency smuggling case. We haven’t received enough proof against him in the gold smuggling case. The probe is on,” said the source. On Monday, the customs filed before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offences) court details of the no-objection letter issued by the Ministry of External Affairs to Khalid.
The details were filed as part of a plea to arraign him as a respondent and to issue a non-bailable warrant against him. In the letter issued in June 2017, it was specified that he and his family members will not enjoy any privilege or diplomatic immunity.The court had raised doubt whether Khalid enjoys diplomatic immunity and whether a case against him can be charged in India. The court is set to pass an order on Wednesday.