Kerala gold smuggling: Ex-Principal Secretary to CM, Sivasankar suspended pending inquiry

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the suspension of his former Principal Secretary M Sivasankar pending the departmental inquiry. This line of action was recommended by a state government-appointed two-member committee probing his role in the gold smuggling scandal. It was reportedly found that he had violated the All-India Services Conduct rules due to his connections with the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling accused. The committee is also investigating the allegations pertaining to the appointment of Swapna Suresh in the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited.

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling: Rameez Key To Probe; Customs Dig Role Of Ex-principal Secy To CMO

Role of senior bureaucrat under the scanner

The neighbours of Swapna Suresh have reportedly seen Sivasankar visiting her house quite often. This house has allegedly been used for planning of the smuggling operations. The Customs raided his residence and obtained CCTV footage from various places where he met Suresh and other accused in the past few months. After being grilled for 10 hours by Customs officials, Sivasankar was allowed to go at 2.30 am on Wednesday, As per sources, he was questioned about the appointment of Suresh, her dubious education certificates and her role in the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited.

Sources added that the other accused Sarith and Sandeep got in touch with the senior IAS officer through Suresh. In a latest development, Republic TV has learnt that Arun Balachandran, who help the gold smuggling accused to obtain a flat opposite the state secretariat, was removed from his post in the state government on the instruction of Sivasankar. However, a WhatsApp chat accessed by the authorities indicates that Sivasankar had himself asked Balachandran to arrange for the flat. Balachandran, who served as the Marketing and Operations Director in the Chief Minister's High Power Digital Committee, has claimed innocence and stated that he acted as per orders. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling: 116 Calls Between Swapna Suresh And UAE Diplomat, Details Accessed

Kerala gold smuggling case

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 now working as the manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited.

The case took a political turn after photos with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan surfaced. It has been alleged that Suresh has links with the CM and has been seen with him at parties when she was working at the UAE Consulate. Following the backlash over her appointment, she was sacked by the state government. Meanwhile, a purported conversation between state Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel and a UAE Consulate General official has surfaced, wherein they discuss matters related to trade. This is in clear violation of rules which prohibit foreign missions from directly dealing with state governments on matters such as foreign trade, project collaboration etc. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Probe: UAE Attache Flees India After Swapna Suresh Confirms Contact

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Racket: Two More Arrested After NIA Access Connecting Documents