Team News Riveting
Kochi, November 5
A special court in Kochi extended the custody period of suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar to six more days with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED had come out with startling revelations and disclosed that Sivasankar shared a lot of confidential information regarding certain state government projects with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the controversial gold smuggling case.
The ED, while probing the alleged Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) offences in the gold smuggling case, had arrested Sivasankar on September 28 as the fifth accused in the case. He was in ED custody that till Thursday.
The investigating agency sought seven more days of custody as the IAS officer allegedly evaded many key questions. The court granted an extension of six days.
In its plea in the court, the ED stated that the suspended IAS officer had shared confidential information regarding the state government’s Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON), an ongoing project aiming to provide high-speed free internet across the state, and the Life Mission housing project for the poor, with Swapna Suresh.
“The way Sivasankar was sharing confidential information pertaining to government projects indicates that he is part of the shady deal,” the ED told the court. The ED also contextually cited Swapna receiving major kickbacks from the contractors of the Life Mission project in Thrissur’s Wadakkanchery.
It stated that WhatsApp chats between Sivasankar and Swapna Suresh revealed that in April 2019 Sivasankar had intervened to clear diplomatic baggage from the airport for the accused. But as per the accused’s statement, it was only in July 2019 that they started smuggling gold through diplomatic channels. The ED in its plea said that it suspects that April’s consignment too might have contained smuggled gold or could have been a trial baggage.
Meanwhile, the court will consider Sivasankar’s bail plea on November 11. It is also learnt that the court will on November 9 consider a plea from the Customs Department to name Khalid as an accused in the gold smuggling case.
