'Compelled by ED to name Chief Minister in gold case'

Sandeep Nair who is an accused in the gold smuggling case in Kerala has said investigators with the Enforcement Directorate forced him to name Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the case. Earlier, another accused in the case Swapna Suresh is said to have made a similar allegation.

Kochi: In a new twist in the Kerala gold smuggling case, one of the prime accused Sandeep Nair has alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) compelled him to name Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders in the case. Nair, who is facing money laundering charges, shot a letter to the district sessions judge claiming that ED officer Radhakrishnan pressurised him to name Vijayan and other ministers in the high-profile gold smuggling case.

He said that ED officials offered him help to get bail if he acts as per their command, adding that he was pressurised to name the son of a senior politician too. However, ED officials consider it as tactics of the accused to get bail in the case.

A letter was given to the district sessions judge claiming that ED officer Radhakrishnan pressurised him to name Vijayan and other ministers

READ: 'Gold smuggling accused was pressurised to name Vijayan'

Earlier, a woman Kerala Police officer testified before a special probe team of the state police that the prime accused Swapna Suresh was asked loaded questions and was pressurised, to make her name the Chief Minister.

A letter was given to the district sessions judge claiming that ED officer Radhakrishnan pressurised him to name Vijayan and other ministers

Siji Vijayan was the lady police official, who testified before the special probe team which is presently probing the case of an audiotape that was leaked and came out last year and was believed to be that of Swapna Suresh.

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Siji had said that she on the day of questioning by ED was on personal security duty of Swapna Suresh.

Siji also told the probe team that the ED officials were speaking in English and Hindi and since she knew both the languages she could understand it.

READ: Kerala CM directly involved in dollar smuggling; Swapna Suresh in her secret statement