Kochi: Swapna Suresh got the job at the Space Park project of the state IT department with the knowledge of the Chief Minister, according to the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in the diplomatic parcel gold smuggling case.
The 303-page partial charge sheet filed in court says that this was revealed by Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the case.
Swapna told the ED that she got the job at Space Park because Sivasankar, the former principal secretary of the chief minister, trusted her.
Swapna said she had seen Sivasankar eight times officially. Six of these meetings were in the presence of the chief minister, she said. She however, visited Sivasankar unofficially several other times. According to Swapna, the chief minister already knew her in her capacity as the secretary to the UAE Consulate General.
She said Sivasankar had asked her to meet Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL) Managing Director Dr Jayashankar and Special Officer Santosh for the job at Space Park. Sivasankar told her that he would talk to the Chief Minister about the job and do all that was required to get her the appointment. Later, Special Officer Santosh told her that she could join the job at Space Park, Swapna told in her statement to the ED.
She was offered the job with a salary of over Rs 1 lakh in November 2019 even though she did not have the requisite educational qualifications. When the consultancy amount and the GST were added, the total cost of hiring her amounted to Rs 3.18 lakh per month.
Swapna also told the ED that during the floods of August 2018, the Consul General had gifted her $20,000 (Rs 14.60 lakh).
Where is the evidence of terror link: Court
Meanwhile, the trial court has once again asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to produce evidence of the alleged terrorist links of the accused in the Trivandrum airport diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case.
The court also questioned whether imposing UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) in all smuggling cases was the right approach. It also asked what was the basis for the conclusion that the gold smuggling was linked to terrorism.
The court will give its verdict on the bail plea of the accused on Monday. The same day, the NIA will also file the confession statement of Sandeep Nair, the fourth accused in the case, who has expressed his desire to become an approver.
The investigation team was taken aback when the court asked for evidence of the terrorist links of the accused even after examining the NIA's case diary.
Govt worried as ED’s charge sheet points fingers at CM
The charge sheet of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has again put the government and the CPM in a spot of bother after a brief lull.
The ED's finding that the Chief Minister was also aware of the appointment of Swapna in the IT Department’s Space Park has put the government on the defensive.
It is not just Swapna’s statement that is a worry for the government, but the charge sheet filed by the investigating agency that is based on her statement.
The LDF, which as the Opposition had cornered the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with Saritha Nair's letter and allegations in the solar scam, is the one that has to answer many questions now.
The only inquiry that the state government had announced after the gold smuggling case became a big controversy was into the appointment of Swapna in Space Park.
While the Chief Minister had announced the inquiry to look into allegations that the appointment was based on Swapna’s fake certificate, the central agency is now alleging that she got the job with the complete knowledge of the Chief Minister.
An inquiry done at the level of the Chief Secretary had found that Sivasankar was behind the Swapna appointment. Later, Swapna's arrest was also recorded by the police after they found that the degree certificate on the basis of which she got the job was fake. The state police, however, have not been able to take further action as Swapna has been in the custody of the NIA in the gold smuggling case.
Now, with the ED’s report, Sivasankar's role is becoming more clear. While this is not unexpected for the government, the fact that the central agency is now pointing fingers at the chief minister could be a key turning point in the case. The ED's conclusion that Swapna had met him several times with Sivasankar must be making the Chief Minister uneasy.
The government had come under intense pressure after the gold smuggling racket was exposed and it was revealed that Sivasankar was close to Swapna.
But it started breathing easy when the Customs Department released Swapna on bail and let Sivasankar go after just questioning him. The Left Front had also launched a political counter-attack against the central investigating agencies. But with Wednesday’s charge sheet, it was now certain that the CPM will lash out against not just the CBI but also the ED.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the CBI’s petition against the acquittal of Pinarayi Vijayan and others in the Lavalin case; the government's petition against the CBI probe into Life Mission is also coming up for hearing on Thursday in the high court.
Neither the party nor the chief minister has come forward to respond to the charge sheet filed by the ED in the sessions court. Everyone is now keenly watching in anticipation to see what storm will follow this calm.
