KOCHI: WhatsApp messages between Swapna Suresh, an accused in the gold smuggling case, and M Sivasankar, former principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, turned into major evidence in the Wadakkancherry LIFE Mission corruption case.
As per the chats, which were reproduced by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its remand report, Sivasankar told Swapna that the CM had asked him to get a job for Swapna after she quit her post as secretary to Consul General at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. "CM had asked me to get u a job. But that will be low profile; though the salary will be double," said Sivasankar's chat with Swapna, reproduced by the ED.
When questioned, Sivashankar told the ED that Swapna was prone to mood swings and was worried about losing her job, so he was trying to console her. At the same time, he also admitted that she was a high-profile person known to almost everyone and that he had briefed the CM after she was selected by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) for the Space Park project.
"From the material evidence such as the WhatsApp conversation between (Smt) Swapna Suresh and (Shri) Sivasankar and the statement given by (Smt) Swapna Suresh, it is clearly indicating that there is a larger nexus involving government representatives in the allocation of contract and generation of proceeds of crime via the upfront commission as a bribe", said the remand report.
Sivasankar, who retired from the Kerala government service recently, was arrested by the ED on Tuesday night, and he has been sent to the ED's custody for five days till February 20.
The remarks on the involvement of the CM in the alleged transaction have assumed significance in the case in which Sivasankar was arrested on Tuesday.
The ED produced the extract of the WhatsApp chat in the remand report before the Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act Cases. In his WhatsApp message, on July 31, 2019, a day before the alleged handing over of the commission occurred, Sivasankar told Swapna not to get involved and warned her that she would be blamed if something goes wrong. "Don't get too involved. Somehow I get the feeling that they will put the blame if something goes wrong on ur head and tell MOFA that is why you left."
Meanwhile, the ED on Thursday issued a summons to Venugopal, the CA who assisted Swapna in the opening of the bank locker, to appear before questioning. Venugopal and Sivasankar will be interrogated simultaneously on the opening of the locker to handle the funds obtained. Venugopal was assisting with the opening of the locker along with Swapna. Sivasankara was evasive in responding to it.
The ED had submitted to the court to bring out the complete modus operandi pertaining to the proceeds of crime as it was necessary to have custodial interrogation of Sivasankar for a period of 10 days. However, the court granted five days of custody.