Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: Claims By Prime Accused Sets Off Political Row, LoP Seeks Probe

Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan accused the CMO of helping the accused leave the state and demanded probe into Swapna’s claims

Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in Kerala gold smuggling case. (Image: ANI)

New Delhi: A day after Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, alleged that the Chief Minister’s former principal secretary M Sivasankar was ‘aware of everything’, a political war of words has set off, with the opposition parties charging the Chief Minister’s Office of being involved in the case and that intelligence inputs were also misused.

After Swapna’s interview where she claimed that Sivasankar cannot wash his hands off by projecting her in a negative light, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan accused the CMO of helping the accused leave the state and demanded probe into Swapna’s claim that the audio clip saying that the CM had no role in the case, was a scripted one.  

"It has now become clear the voice clip, circulated in her name saying the CM has no role in the case, was a scripted one. It was done by misusing the police force in the state with the knowledge of the top officers," Satheesan said as quoted by news agency PTI, adding that the perpetrators who actually planned and executed it should be exposed.

Swapna on Friday had alleged that the clip was recorded in a mobile phone given to her when she was in the custody of Enforcement Directorate and said that Sivasankar was behind the incident.

Alleging that even intelligence reports were misused by the CMO for economic corruption during the previous Vijayan government's term, Satheesan said that all the hidden truths are now coming to the surface.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief K Surendran also said that Swapna’s revelations have made it clear that all the allegations raised by his party against the CMO in the smuggling case were true, adding that the CM’s former principal secretary had called a top Customs official to get clearance for the illegal baggage.

"He asked the customs official to release the baggage as it was a matter of interest to the CM. We also said then itself that it was Sivasankar who helped Suresh to flee to Benagluru and the purported voice clip by her justifying the government was a fabricated one," Surendran said as quoted by PTI.

Notably, a day after Sivasankar announced an autobiographical book detailing his trials and tribulations in the sensational case and how he was not aware of Swapna’s involvement with the smuggling racket, Swapna Suresh, on Friday, criticised the IAS officer and said that she was ‘already a victim’. She also accused Sivasankar of ‘manipulating, exploiting and destroying’ her life.

Sivasankar, who has been keeping away from media glare even after his re-induction into the service on January 4, in the book claimed that he had made no illegal intervention in the smuggling case and never did any undue favours for Swapna.

Sivasankar was suspended from service after his involvement with Swapna in the smuggling case surfaced.

The gold smuggling case came to light on July 5, 2020 when a consignment of 30kg gold was seized from a diplomatic baggage at the air cargo of the Trivandrum International Airport by the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate in Kochi.