M Sivasankar files objection petition in SC against shifting of Gold smuggling case

|HT|

Former principal secretary to the Kerala chief minister, M Sivasankar, an accused in a money laundering case related to gold smuggling through the UAE consulate in 2020 has filed an objection petition in the Supreme Court against the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s bid to shift the case out of the state to Bengaluru. In the plea, the senior bureaucrat requested the court not to take any action on the ED petition to shift the case without hearing him out in detail. He said the move was politically-motivated and it was not proper to shift the case to another state after filing the charge sheet. The state government is yet to announce its decision on this.

The ED moved the Supreme Court last week, saying there were deliberate attempts to weaken the case and cited the Kerala police case against ED officials and a judicial commission against the central agency. “Due to involvement of powerful persons from the very beginning, there has been a concerted effort at the behest of respondent No 4 to thwart and derail the investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” the agency said in its petition. ED also pointed out the recent statement of prime accused Swapna Suresh, given under 164 of CrPC, in which she raised serious charges against the CM and his family members. The central agency said it wants to shift the case to Bengaluru for a speedy trial.

Sivasankar is the fourth accused in the PMLA case related to the gold smuggling case registered in 2020. The gold smuggling came to light on July 5, 2020, when the customs seized 30 kg of gold concealed in bathroom fittings in one of the consignments, camouflaged as diplomatic baggage that came in the name of the UAE consulate in the state capital.

A former employee of the consulate, P S Sarith, who came to receive the consignment, was arrested the same day. A week later, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Swapna and her accomplice Sandeep Nair from their hideout in Bengaluru. After Sivasankar’s alleged liaison with Suresh emerged, the government suspended him and three months later he was arrested by central agencies. After his release, his suspension was revoked and the former bureaucrat was taken back into government service in January this year.

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