KOCHI: Gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh had allegedly helped resolve issues related to the Smart City project in Kochi. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the case came to know about her links with the project from former principal secretary M Sivasankar.According to ED sources, during interrogation, Sivasankar admitted that he had sought the help of Swapna to iron out issues related to the Smart City project.
“According to Sivasankar, as the IT secretary of Kerala, he had interacted with Swapna who was the secretary to the UAE consul-general, seeking the intervention of the UAE government in resolving the stalemate in the Smart City project. The move was effective in bringing Dubai Holding, major stakeholders of the project, to the negotiation table in 2017. Later, Sivasankar had also interacted with Swapna for creating opportunities for Kerala-based startups and IT companies in the UAE,” a source said.
SmartCity (Kochi) Infrastructure Pvt Ltd is a joint venture formed between Dubai Holding and the Kerala government to attract IT investments to the 246 acres under its possession in Kakkanad.
Eighty-four per cent of the shares are owned by Dubai Holding’s affiliate entity and 16% by the Kerala government and the deal was signed in 2007. Now, the project is expected to be commissioned by 2021.
In 2017, when the project was estimated to be completed, there was uncertainty regarding the stake of Dubai Holding. There were reports that Dubai Holding may move out of the project due to the inordinate delay.
Later, the matter was sorted out following a discussion between the Kerala government and Dubai Holding.Similarly, another accused, Sarith P S, who worked as the PRO of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram told ED that apart from Sivasankar, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel had visited the consulate and held discussions with consul-general.
According to him, Kadakampally visited the consul-general concerning the job appointment of his son in the UAE, while Jaleel met the diplomat in connection with the distribution of the Ramzan kits. Apart from it, religious leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar and son Abdul Hakkim visited the consul-general several times for collecting donations and Quran copies in large numbers. The Customs has registered a case related to duty evasion in the import of Quran copies by the UAE Consulate and it had interrogated Jaleel in this regard.