The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday summoned Swapna Suresh, a suspect in a gold smuggling case, to appear before it on June 22 for questioning. Summons were issued on the basis of the 164 statements that she provided before the sessions court previously. As per ED sources, Swapna said that she would appear in its Kochi office.
Swapna Suresh had disclosed that she testified in court about Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife and his daughter’s involvement in the case. ‘I have already given 164 statements in court about a threat to my life. I have declared in court about all the people involved in this case. I have also filed a petition seeking protection in court. They are considering it. I have declared in the court about what is the involvement of M Sivasankar (then principal secretary to Kerala CMO), the Chief Minister, CM’s wife Kamala, CM’s daughter Veena, his secretary CM Raveendran, then Chief Secretary Nalini Netto IAS, then minister KT Jaleel’, she said.
According to the affidavit provided by Swapna Suresh, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the previous Minister KT Jaleel were aware that 17 tonnes of dates were brought to Kerala from the UAE ‘went missing’.
The instance of the illegal importation of gold into Kerala involves using diplomatic channels. The customs agency in Thiruvananthapuram had discovered 30 kg of gold worth Rs 14.82 crore that was being smuggled in a shipment disguised as diplomatic luggage on July 5, 2019. Swapna was freed from prison in November last year after serving 16 months in solitary confinement.
The Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and customs agency are also investigating the matter.
Post Your Comments