Kerala Gold Smuggling: CM's additional secy Raveendran seeks HC stay on ED summons

Kerala Chief Minister's additional private secretary CM Raveendran on Tuesday moved the Kerala High Court seeking a stay on the Enforcement Directorate's summons to him in the PMLA case in connection with the Gold Smuggling racket. He was asked by the ED to appear before them on December 17.

The plea filed by Raveendran states that he has not fully recovered from his illness and has raised apprehensions that he would be detained by ED for long hours which he would not be able to endure. Apart from the stay on the summons, he has also requested the court to direct the ED to allow him to have the presence of a legal practitioner of his choice during his appearance before the Central Agency.

He also sought the court to issue an appropriate writ, order, or direction to ED to refrain from detaining him beyond a reasonable time deemed fit by the court.

"The petitioner also apprehends that he would be coerced and compelled to make statements which are untrue and against his will," Raveendran's petition said.

The ED has summoned him for the fourth time in connection with the smuggling case. He had not appeared for the last three times citing his hospitalisation. The ED issued two summons each in November and this month.

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Kerala Gold Smuggling scam

On July 5, 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. Sarith Kumar, who worked at the UAE Consulate was arrested in this regard. Reportedly, he told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh, an ex-consulate employee who was appointed by Sivasankar as a manager in KSITIL. Following the backlash over her appointment, she was sacked by the state government. However, her appointment by Principal Secretary to CM led the opposition to raise suspicion over the Kerala CMO being complicit to the scam. After the heat on the CMO, Principal Secretary Sivasankar was suspended from his post pending the departmental inquiry. Yet his sacking has not eluded the opposition from raising allegations of CM Pinarayi Vijayan's complicity to the Gold Smuggling racket. Moreover, pictures of CM with Swapna Suresh emerged which further led to the questioning of CM's complicity.

The case is currently being probed by the ED, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Customs Department. The NIA has made severe allegations against the people named in the FIR of the Kerala Gold Scam that are Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair, and others. The NIA has alleged that the smuggled gold was not used for jewellery purposes but for funding terror activities.

(With ANI inputs)

READ | Kerala Gold Smuggling: HC Adjourns CM's Ex-aide Sivasankar's Bail Plea Hearing To Dec 18

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