When the customs department asked M Sivashankar in the gold smuggling case whether in late 2016 or early 2017 he sent a packet in the guise of diplomatic baggage to the chief minister of kerala (who was then in UAE) through swapna Suresh. requested to send.



Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a press conference on monday (June 27, 2022), had rubbished all the claims of Swapna suresh, the main accused in the gold smuggling case, saying, “No bags were sent from kerala to the UAE. " However, when Republic tv accessed the statement of former Principal Secretary M Shivshankar in an inquiry conducted by the Customs, it found something else. According to the document, the former Principal Secretary has given a statement contrary to the CM's claim and has supported the statement of swapna Suresh.



When the customs department asked M Sivashankar in the gold smuggling case whether in late 2016 or early 2017 he sent a packet in the guise of diplomatic baggage to the chief minister of kerala (who was then in UAE) through swapna Suresh. requested to send. The former IAS officer accepted this fact.



he said yes. The Hon'ble chief minister was on his first visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after assuming office. During his travels there, he was meeting people holding many important and high positions. As usual that time also it was decided that some mementos should be given to the dignitaries.”




He further revealed that only a memento was ready before the delegation left for the UAE. The other three or four souvenirs that were made later had to be delivered to the uae and for this I requested the consulate's help. He told the customs department that arrangements had been made to distribute the souvenirs to the delegation in the uae on the same day or the next.




Significantly, on june 7, 2022, the main accused in the gold smuggling case, Swapna suresh, had made many serious allegations against chief minister Vijayan. Talking to the media after his appearance in the kochi court, he had said that Vijayan was involved in smuggling gold under the guise of diplomatic baggage. He had said, “In this case I have told the court that the chief minister of kerala, his former principal secretary M. Sivashankar, Vijayan's wife Kamala, daughter Veena, his additional private secretary C.M. Raveendran, former bureaucrat nalini Netto and former minister K.T. Jaleel's involvement has also been told. Along with this, I have also filed a petition in the court seeking my protection.




What is gold Smuggling Case

The case of gold smuggling in kerala came to light in July 2020. The case of gold smuggling under the guise of diplomatic baggage started with Swapna suresh and then its wires reached the office of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Swapna suresh was accused of smuggling 30 kg of gold from gulf countries using 'Diplomatic Immunity' on July 2, 2020, by presenting fake documents. This was revealed on July 6, when customs officials questioned an official of the uae Consulate, who was posted as a PRO.

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