THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ranging from gold smuggling to money laundering, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) is the den of all nefarious activities, alleged Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday.
He was speaking to reporters at Indira Bhavan here, after it came to light that an affidavit filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) -- containing the statement of the prime accused in the gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh -- stated that M Sivasankar, former secretary to the CM, and his team were fully aware of the smuggling of gold and other electronic goods through the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
“The LDF government has been in power of 55 months now. But now, the affidavit by the ED has revealed what was really transpiring at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office,” Chennithala said. Stating that the people of the state were shocked beyond words after the ED came out with startling revelations against the CMO, he alleged that the CM was trying to evade the cloud of suspicion that hangs over him by using his party as a shield.