Published 20:57 IST, October 20th 2020
Kerala Ministers Kadakampally Surendran, KT Jaleel regularly visited UAE Consulate: Sarith
Kerala gold scam accused Sarith PS told the ED that Kerala Ministers Kadakampally Surendran and KT Jaleel would regularly visit the UAE Consulate
In a massive allegation, Kerala gold scam accused Sarith PS told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that Kerala Ministers Kadakampally Surendran and KT Jaleel would regularly visit the UAE Consulate and were in touch with the Consul General for personal reasons. In his statement to the ED, Sarith PS has alleged that state Minister Kadakampally Surendran was in touch with Consul General at the UAE Consulate and had even met him once in connection with a job appointment of his son in the UAE.
"Ministers Kadakampally Surendran and KT Jaleel visited the UAE Consulate several times. The meetings were in the cabin of the Consul General. I came to know that Kadakampally Surendran visited the Consul General in connection with a job appointment of his son at the UAE and KT Jaleel visited the UAE Consulate in connection with the function organised by the Consulate for distribution of Ramadan kits," Sarith PS said in his statement to the ED.
Talking about his meeting with former principal secretary of the Kerala Chief Minister's Office M Sivasankar, Sarith PS said, "Sir also visited my house several times. Sivasankar sir visited the UAE Consulate several times for official purposes," adding that he also met Sivasankar several times at his office at the Secretariat.
Accused Sarith PS also named Kanthapuram AP Aboobekar Musliyar in his statement saying that he and his son Abdul Hakkim also visited the Consul General several times for collecting donations of the Holy Quran in "large quantities."
Meanwhile, addressing a press briefing on Monday, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan stressed that his government had never tried to protect his former Principal Secretary to CM M Sivasankar. Mentioning that Sivasankar was removed as the Principal Secretary after his links with the gold smuggling accused were established, Vijayan clarified that the former had no connection with the Chief Minister's Office. Meanwhile, the Customs department has registered another case against key accused Swapna Suresh and Sarith PS, for allegedly smuggling currency.
(With Agency Inputs)
Updated 20:57 IST, October 20th 2020