Kerala gold scam: Accused Swapna Suresh says she 'will not withdraw Section 164 statement'

In another major development in the Kerala Gold Smuggling Case, accused Swapna Suresh on June 14 reiterated that she would expose Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, stating that he is 'strongly connected' with Shaj Kiran (who allegedly asked her to withdraw the allegation against CM). Suresh also said that she will not withdraw her Section 164 statement, no matter what happens.

She further alleged that she met the CM and his family at the Cliff house several times. This comes at a time when the Kerala High Court has considered the plea of Swapna Suresh, seeking to quash an FIR registered against her for allegedly conspiring to cause a riot in the state through her recent disclosures, and said it will be further heard on June 21. 

Speaking to the media on June 14, Swapna Suresh said, "I am blessed with another case today.  Another case came up at 11'o clock last night on the complaint given by a CPIM Leader CP Pramod. I just have to say something very very clear and short. No matter how many more cases come up against me, I will stick to the 164 statement. Please register a case in all police stations across Kerala. But I am not going to withdraw my 164 Statement. This is a very strong decision I have made. If I want to get out of this, you have to kill yourself. Maybe it's all over here after the killing. Maybe only because I have given all my evidence and everything to different people. It's not over yet. If you want to put me in jail and beat me up for writing and signing something, just give it a try."

"No matter how many more cases come up against me, I will not withdraw my 164 statement.  The CM is strongly connected with Shaj Kiran. They sent him to my office and now they've registered another case against me," Suresh added. 

On Monday, June 13, she also came out strongly against former state minister and CPI(M) MLA KT Jaleel days after he filed a conspiracy case against her. Suresh told the media that she will reveal all the matters on Jaleel in her statement that she recorded under CrPc Section 164 before the court.

Swapna Suresh's allegations against CM Vijayan

On June 8, Swapna Suresh had said that there was no “political or personal agenda” behind her allegation that Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had taken a bag full of cash to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2016. Suresh had said, “I don’t have any political or any kind of personal agenda behind giving the statement to the court. What I stated in the statement as per Section 164, had already been shared with the investigating agencies in the past. I am facing a threat and my present employer is also facing several hardships due to this.., I have given a statement against CM Vijayan only because there is evidence.”

Following her statement, a team of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) took P S Sarith, another accused in the gold smuggling case, into custody from their residence in Palakkad. He was taken into custody pertaining to a VACB probe in a case related to the state government housing scheme Life Mission, which was implemented with aid from the Red Crescent.

Last week, Suresh had raised the allegation before the media in Kochi after giving a statement at a local court as per Section 164 of CrPC in a money laundering case that came up during the probe into the gold smuggling case. Following this, CM Vijayan responded to the allegation and said that it was part of a “certain agenda” against him.

The Kerala gold scam dates back to July 2020, when Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs 15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate.

(With Agency Inputs)

Image: Twitter/@ANI