Kerala gold smuggling case: ED has a theory and they want me to admit to that, says M Sivasankar

He said he has disc prolapse and underwent treatment last year as part of which he took bed rest for a month.

M Sivasankar, former principal secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, coming out of the Enforcement Directorate office in Kochi on Thursday | A Sanesh

KOCHI:  When produced at the Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in Kochi on Thursday, chief minister’s former principal secretary M Sivasankar, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for investigation into the money laundering angle of gold smuggling through the diplomatic channel, said the directorate has a theory and it wants him to admit to that.Sivasankar was produced in court around 11am after his medical examination was done at General Hospital here. When he asked permission to make a submission, the judge allowed it and asked him to come forward near his seat. 

He said he has disc prolapse and underwent treatment last year as part of which he took bed rest for a month. This year again, he was undergoing 14 days of ayurveda treatment and ED brought him to Kochi to record his arrest on the ninth day of treatment.

Similarly, his medical examination after the arrest was conducted by an allopathy doctor, not an ayurveda doctor. Hence, medical arrangements should be made when he is in ED custody. The court told Sivasankar that necessary direction would be given to ED in this regard.

Police cane a Yuva Morcha worker who attempted to
enter the Secretariat premises during a protest
demanding CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s resignation on
Thursday night | B P Deepu 

His second point was that he could not undergo interrogation for a long stretch. “On one occasion, the interrogation that started at 11am ended at 5.30am the next day. I cannot sit for interrogation for more than two-and-a-half hours at a stretch. During interrogation, after my answer, the officer usually goes out to talk to someone on the phone for taking directions. Due to this, the interrogation consumes more time,” he said.

The third point was regarding the ED’s claim that Sivasankar was not cooperating with the probe.

“The court can check my testimony to understand that I have cooperated with officers. I have told them everything in my knowledge. They have a theory and they want me to admit to that. That’s is not possible. Hence, they claim that I am giving evasive answers,” he said.

He said the investigation team did not misbehave with him. Seeing him struggling to stand for long inside the accused box, the court asked him to sit. He was wearing a lumbar belt.