The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is once again questioning former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister and former IT Secretary of the state, M Sivasankar, in relation to the gold smuggling case. The bureaucrat is currently at the Kochi office of the NIA and he is likely to be questioned in the presence of Swapna Suresh, one of the key accused in the controversial case.
Sivasankar was questioned twice by the NIA in July and once by the Customs Department. This time, the NIA’s questioning is based on digital proof that they have gathered. The central agency had also approached the court asking for Swapna’s custody once again, in the wake of this digital proof. The court had granted the same.
Action was taken against Sivasankar after allegations surfaced that he had links with Swapna Suresh, the key accused in the case related to the attempt to smuggle gold through diplomatic baggage using the name of a person in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
After being removed from the posts of Principal Secretary to the CM and IT Secretary, Sivasankar was suspended from the service by the Kerala government. After the arrest of Swapna Suresh and other key accused, it had also surfaced that Sivasankar allegedly helped the accused persons in booking a flat in Thiruvananthapuram, where the plan to smuggle gold is alleged to have taken place.
It had also surfaced through the call record details of the accused that Sivasankar had contacted PS Sarith, first accused in the case and former staff of the UAE Consulate, multiple times between April to July.
The controversy surrounding the senior bureaucrat was a huge blow to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as Sivasankar as reportedly said to be one of the confidants of the CM.
Watch visuals of Sivasankar in NIA office: