Ernakulam: M Shivasankar, former principal secretary, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate alleging money laundering linked to the gold smuggling case, has been remanded to judicial custody here on Thursday.
The remand period is until November 26. Meanwhile, the hearing on the bail plea submitted by Shivasankar is also complete. The Court is to decide on the plea on Tuesday.
Shivasankar, who is allegedly involved in the case of gold smuggling through the diplomatic baggage channel at Thiruvananthapuram Airport and in money laundering, was under the ED custody for the past few days for interrogation.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has strongly argued against allowing bail to Shivasankar. As the investigation is in a crucial stage, the ED has informed the Court that Shivasankar who is highly influential should not be given a bail now.
The bank locker is said to have been under Shivasankar’s custody and all the money seized from the locker was his, the ED says. The ED informed the Court that Shivasankar helped Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case, to hide the money she received through these illegal activities. He is also a partner in Swapna’s deals.
The ED said revealing more details about the evidence collected in the case may affect the probe. The ED has submitted some more details in the Court in a sealed envelope.
