ED selectively omitted WhatsApp chats, fabricating stories as per its needs: Sivasankar

Kochi: There are contradictions in the Enforcement Directorate’s reports in the case related to the gold smuggling at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, the chief minister’s former principal secretary M Sivasankar has said in an affidavit. The agency was fabricating stories as per its daily requirements, he alleged in a bail application under the consideration of the Principal Sessions Court. The court will give its verdict on the petition on Tuesday.

What the affidavit says:

Sivasankar, in his affidavit, said that he was arrested for refusing to reveal during interrogation the names of political leaders as required by the ED.

The ED selectively omitted some of the WhatsApp chats about the locker to make it seem that he had knowledge about black money.

On November 11, the ED said that all the black money found in the bank locker was the bribe received by him in the Life Mission housing scheme. Unitac, the company that was given the construction contract, and the UAE Consulate signed the agreement for the Life Mission housing scheme on July 31, 2019. He was CEO of Life Mission for a month from March 3, 2019. The allegation that an officer who was not responsible for the Mission was bribed is bizarre.

In its October 28 arrest report, the ED had said that he had helped collect the more than Rs 1 crore that the NIA had found from the bank locker of Swapna Suresh, one of the main accused of the smuggling case. However, in its application filed on November 5 to get his custody extended, the ED does not state anything about having found evidence to prove this. On November 11, the ED said that all the money found in the locker was the bribe paid to him. This change in stance is immoral.

The ED had earlier argued that he may have called the Customs Department officials to get the diplomatic parcels with smuggled gold released. But in its two subsequent reports, it did not say which high-ranking Customs official he had called or which parcel he had wanted released.

Sivasankar questioned by Customs

Sivasankar was questioned again by Customs Department in connection with the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case. Sivasankar, who is in remand in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate, was questioned by a team led by superintendent of Customs Vivek Vasudevan Nair at the Kakkanad district jail. The interrogation started at 2pm and ended at 5pm.

Sivasankar transferred to jail

Sivasankar has been lodged as remand accused 3,891 in lock up No. 2 in block A of the district jail. He was in the COVID observation centre and was shifted to the jail on Monday morning.