Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, has alleged that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is involved in the case, along with three of his ministers and the speaker of the assembly, reports Organiser.
The Customs Department, in its report submitted to the Kerala High Court, quoted Swapna, saying, “The respondent (Swapna Suresh) had clearly stated about the improper and illegal activities of the CM, three ministers and the Speaker. She has also further stated about the involvement and kickbacks received by high-profile persons from various deals.”
“The role of former principal secretary (M Sivasankar) in acting as the link between the high-profile politicians of Kerala and UAE consulate officials as well as some others in coordinating illegal financial dealings under the cover of various activities and projects of the state government was also revealed by her,” said the affidavit submitted by the Customs and Preventive Commissioner Sumit Kumar in the high court.
The accused was involved in gold being smuggled through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Investigations by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had revealed that the smuggling was a massive national security problem, as the purpose of the gold was to spread terror in India and derail the national economy.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.