ED arrests Sivasankar, former principal secretary to Kerala CM, in Life Mission scam case

Under the Life Mission project, it is proposed to construct houses for the poor families living in Wadakkancherry in Thrissur district, Kerala. The corruption case was filed based on a complaint by Anil Akkara, the then Wadakancherry Congress MLA.

Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in connection with alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act in the Life Mission project. The former bureaucrat was produced before the court after a medical check-up.

Raising the issue, Opposition leader VD Satheesan criticized the Left government and said, the Chief Minister should answer. Meanwhile, CPI State Secretary Kanam Rajendran said that the arrest of the Chief Minister's former Principal Secretary will not affect the government or the LDF (Left Democratic Front). He came in strong defence of the government.

In the poor housing project, two companies had undertaken the construction based on the agreement entered with them by Red Crescent, an international humanitarian movement, which had agreed to provide Rs 20 crore towards the Life Mission project.

Anil Akkara, the then Congress from Wadakancherry, made the complaint in which he alleged that there was corruption involved in the selection of the contractor by the Red Crescent. Swapna Suresh had reportedly claimed that the money was for Sivasankar.

The petition also said the companies which signed an agreement with the Red Crescent do not come under the categories of persons prohibited from receiving any foreign contribution as per Section 3 of the FCRA. Sivasankar retired on January 31. He was earlier arrested in a related gold smuggling case involving diplomatic baggage to the UAE consulate.