Kerala: Life Mission rip-off and CM Vijayan’s workplace below scanner as ED interrogates former principal secretary Sivasankar

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s workplace has been going through allegations of corruption for the reason that gold smuggling rip-off broke, highlighting the involvement of his former principal secretary M Sivasankar and minister KT Jaleel. Recently, the ED has taken M Sivasankar on a 5-day remand to interrogate him in regards to the Life Mission Scam. A courtroom in Kochi granted Sivasankar’s custody to ED on Wednesday, 15 February.

What is Life Mission Scam?

Life Mission was a authorities mission to offer free housing for the homeless victims of Kerala floods in 2018. Irregularities within the scheme got here to gentle when the ED was probing the gold smuggling case. The ED had reportedly obtained Rs 2 crores in money, and 2kgs of gold from Swapna Suresh’s financial institution locker in October 2020. Swapna Suresh, the prime accused within the gold smuggling case, had informed the ED that the cash got here from the commissions Sivasankar obtained from clinching a cope with The Red Crescent, a world support group, for offering housing for 2018 flood victims in Wadakkanchery of Thrissur district. Sivasankar had allegedly requested Swapna to maintain the money in her locker.

As per studies, the Kerala authorities’s so-called cope with Red Crescent was achieved with out notifying the Central authorities, in violation of FCRA guidelines. The CBI had objected to the deal and had filed a case, however the Kerala authorities below Vijayan had moved to courtroom to say the deal was not in violation of FCRA. However, the courtroom refused to quash the case.

The Kerala govt collected cash via the UAE consulate

The ED discovered {that a} whole quantity of Rs 18.5 crores from the Red Crescent was collected via the UAE consulate in Kerala’s capital. While an quantity of Rs 14.5 crores was spent on the flood sufferer’s rehabilitation mission, the remaining quantity of Rs 4 crores was divided among the many Kerala authorities and UAE consulate staffers. Sivasankar had reportedly made Rs 1 crore from the deal.

140 households in Vadakancherry of Thrissur district have been the beneficiaries of the Red Crescent support.

After ED obtained Sivasankar below its custody, Swapna Suresh, who’s now out on bail and has shifted base to Bengaluru, has claimed that your complete household of CM Pinarayi Vijayan is concerned within the Life Mission rip-off.

M Sivasankar has helped to finish all administrative necessities in order that they might make a rip-off out of it. ED is heading in the right direction and I’m able to cooperate with them. I request ED to probe deeply and query others who work for CM to handle his unlawful work: Swapna Suresh https://t.co/b8JuY8NmKG pic.twitter.com/dilKSMP5dJ

— ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2023

2 personal contractors, specifically Unitac Builders and Sane Ventures had been employed to construct the homes. Congress MLA from Wadakkanchery, Anil Akkara, had filed a criticism alleging that the collection of contractors has been achieved after rampant corruption and bribery.

In its remand report submitted within the PMLA courtroom, ED has acknowledged that Sivasankar is responsible of the offence of cash laundering by concealing the proceeds of crime, and possession of the cash below the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The probe company has additionally submitted the detailed cash path from Red Crescent to Unitac.

As per the ED, an quantity of Rs 5.25 crore to the Federal Bank and a sum of Rs 2.25 crore to the Axis Bank have been transferred on August 1, 2019. Part of the identical quantity was subsequently withdrawn by Santhosh Eappen, MD of Unitac Builders, and handed over as ‘commission’ to Sivasankar for allocating the contract to them. The company has additionally carried out detailed digital investigations of chats, telephone calls, name information and IMEI numbers of the telephones and different traces. They have additionally submitted that the iPhone in Sivasankar’s possession was given to him by Unitac Builders, a report in NIE detailed.

ED has additionally acknowledged that Sivasankar has been uncooperative, and evasive. Swapna Suresh had earlier acknowledged that she and Sivasankar had intimate relationships and have been planning to settle in Dubai.

Gold Smuggling rip-off and Pinarayi Vijayan’s workplace

On July 5, 2020, customs officers on the Thiruvananthapuram worldwide airport discovered gold weighing over 30 kilograms and valued at virtually Rs 15 crore. This gold was hid in diplomatic baggage and despatched to the UAE embassy through air freight.

After getting info that the suitcase was a part of a smuggling community aiming to misappropriate the title of a diplomat with diplomatic immunity, customs authorities took motion.

In this case, Swapna Suresh is the first accused. Swapna Suresh, a former worker of the UAE consulate, had been engaged by a personal enterprise to work on a mission for the Kerala Information Technology Department, which was led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. M Sivasankar, the CM’s former principal secretary, was in command of this division. Suresh was caught utilizing a diplomatic passport and solid paperwork to smuggle gold into India from UAE.

The NIA had earlier discovered that the racket had managed to usher in 1.5 quintals (150 kgs) of gold within the nation via diplomatic channels at Thiruvananthapuram airport since September 2019. The NIA had additional disclosed that the smuggling of gold was not achieved for jewelry however for funding terrorist actions in India.

Swapna Suresh, who speaks Arabic, was reportedly the first mediator of the talks between the CM’s workplace and the UAE consulate.