Published 16:53 IST, July 28th 2020
Kerala gold scam: Ex-Secy Sivasankar summoned again by NIA, after 9 hr session yesterday
The questioning by the NIA began at 10:30 am on Tuesday, as a follow up on the Monday session which is said to have lasted for over nine hours
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In the latest development in the Kerala Gold smuggling case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) once again summoned former Principal Secretary M Sivasankar for further interrogation at its office in Kochi. The questioning began at 10:30 am on Tuesday, as a follow up on the Monday session which is said to have lasted for over nine hours. Earlier on July 23, the NIA had questioned the suspended bureaucrat at the Kerala Police Club in Thiruvananthapuram. The previous week, he was grilled for over 10 hours by the Customs Officials on July 14.
According to the investigation, Sivasankar has shared close proximity with the key accused in the gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh and Sarith PS. Also, the probe revealed has revealed that he knows Sandeep Nair, the fourth accused in the case. Following the revelation of his links with key-accused in the gold scam, he was suspended by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government on account of violating the All-India Services Conduct rules.
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Meanwhile, Sarith PS, Swapna Suresh, and Sandeep Nair, primary accused in the high-profile Kerala gold smuggling case, have been sent to judicial custody till August 21. Earlier Suresh had said in the court that she had suffered mental torture in custody and had given a statement to customs officials due to this. The court will consider the bail petitions of Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair on August 5.
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Kerala gold smuggling case
On July 5, Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs.15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate. Sarith Kumar, who worked at the UAE Consulate was arrested in this regard. Reportedly, he told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh, an ex-Consulate employee now working as the manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited.
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The case took a political turn after photos with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan surfaced. It has been alleged that Suresh has links with the CM and has been seen with him at parties when she was working at the UAE Consulate. The NIA had taken over the case after Centre's nod on July 9. The investigative agency will probe whether the gold smuggling was linked to activities detrimental to national security.
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(With Agency Inputs)
16:53 IST, July 28th 2020