Enforcement Directorate persuades to name certain politicians: Shivasankar in Court

M Shivasankar informed the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court that the Enforcement Directorate was forcing him to name certain politicians. He denied the ED's claim that he received bribe in Life Mission.

Ernakulam: M Shivasankar, former Principal Secretary, who was arrested and is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his involvement in money laundering in connection with the case of gold smuggling through diplomatic baggage channel at Thiruvananthapuram Airport, moves the Court against the investigation agency for forcing him to name certain politicians.

Shivasankar said the ED officials had been putting pressure on him to name certain politicians. He informed Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court here on Monday that he was arrested by the agency because he did not budge to this pressure. He said the ED’s claim that he had received a bribe in the Life Mission project is also baseless. Shivasankar said that he has not called the Customs officials asking them to release the baggage.

The ED has a contradictory and different opinion regarding the money seized from the locker, he said. Shivasankar also alleged that the ED has been leaking his statements to the media persons thereby paving the way for a trial by media. The intention is to thereby put pressure on the Court based on the trial by media, he told the Court.

Read: Kerala gold smuggling: Customs officials reach prison to interrogate M Sivasankar

Shivasankar has also submitted the complete transcript of the conversation between Swapna Suresh, one of the key accused in the gold smuggling case and requested the Court to examine the conversations thoroughly.

Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court would decide on Shivasankar’s bail plea on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Customs department investigating the gold smuggling case had also interrogated Shivasankar. The Customs officials questioned Shivasankar, who is under judicial custody at a jail in Kakkanad in Ernakulam, based on Swapna Suresh’s fresh statement that Shivasankar knows about the gold smuggling.

Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court had allowed the agency to interrogate him from 10 am to 5 pm. However, the Customs officials reached the jail for interrogation only at 2.15 pm. After the interrogation, a report would be submitted at the Court which handles economic offences. It is being hinted that the Customs move is as part of listing Shivasankar as accused in the gold smuggling and dollar smuggling cases.