In an sensational revelation, Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, has alleged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s involvement in the foreign currency smuggling case, along with three more LDF ministers and Speaker of the assembly, as reported by the Organiser and The Hindu.
Swapna was quoted in a report by the Customs Department, submitted to the Kerala High Court, stating, “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 report states that she is aware of all these transactions and was a witness to them as she was well versed in Arabic and had acted as a translator in these deals.
The affidavit submitted by the Customs & Preventive Commissioner, Sumit Kumar in the High court stated that, “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.”
The Customs Department has informed the High court that Swapna Suresh has said that the smuggling of foreign currency was carried out at the behest of Kerala’s CPM Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan and Assembly Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan.
The Customs Department has registered a case against the alleged smuggling of dollars worth Rs.1.3 crores by a former finance head of the UAE Consulate, Thiruvananthapuram, to the United Arab Emirates.
Swapna Suresh was caught for smuggling gold through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Customs also expressed that her apprehensions about safety in prison and threat to her life thereby seeking protection is perfectly justified given the facts disclosed by her were of highly sensitive nature.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigations in the matter revealed a very disturbing fact with national security ramifications as the smuggled gold was to be utilised to finance terrorism in India and derail the national economy.
The details revealed by Swapna Suresh are highly sensitive and has far reaching ramifications, therfore the Customs and other Central authorities should conduct a thorough investigation on the matter and summon CM Pinarayi Vijayan for questioning.
In fact, given the serious accusations against Pinarayi Vijayan, he should resign as the Chief Minister as being in office there is a good possibility of destroying evidence and intimidation of witnesses for protecting himself and other high-profile persons accused in the scam.
News Source: Commune Magazine, Organiser and The Hindu.
DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.