Kochi: There are substantial contradictions in the statements given by Swapna Suresh and construction company Unitac’s owner Santosh Eapen regarding the commission given for the construction contract for the Wadakkanchery Life Mission flat project, a state housing project.
Santosh Eapen, in his statement, had said that foreign currency worth Rs 3.80 crore was paid as commission to Khalid Ali Shoukri, an Egyptian citizen who was employed at the UAE Consulate in Kerala. The transaction took place by a roadside at Kowdiar in Thiruvananthapuram on the night of August 2, he told investigating officials.
According to Swapna’s statement, however, Santosh Eapen had handed over the commission in May. While she and her accomplices were paid Rs 1.08 crore, the commission amount for Khalid was paid in dollars, she said.
When Santosh and his business partner handed over the money, Khalid's car was parked in a bylane near Bell Heaven Gardens at Kowdiar and that she was in the car, Swapna said.
The Rs 1.08 crore was kept in Khalid's house, according to Swapna. But before Khalid returned to Egypt, she moved the amount to a bank locker in August-September last year with the help of the chartered accountant who was introduced to her by the former principal secretary to the Chief Minister M Sivasankar.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Red Crescent and Life Mission for the Wadakkanchery project was signed on July 11, 2019. According to Swapna’s statement, she received the commission from Unitac before the signing of the MoU.
In his statement, however, Santosh Eapen did not say that Swapna was in the consulate car when he handed over the money to Khalid at Kowdiar. According to him, Khalid went to the Consul General's bungalow in his car with the bag full of money and after counting and ascertaining the amount was right, he returned in the same car and handed back the empty bag.
Investigating officials suspect that if the illegal money transfer did indeed take place in May as claimed by Swapna, then there could have been some other secret dealings between them besides the Wadakkanchery Life Mission transaction.
Life Mission probe
The case against the firm and others was registered on a complaint by Congress MLA Anil Akkara, alleging violation of provisions of the FCRA in acceptance of funds from a UAE aid agency for executing the housing project for the poor.
Akkara, representing Wadakkancherry,contended that acceptance of funds by Unitac Builders and Developers and Sane Ventures LLP from Red Crescent, the UAE-based aid agency, with 'concurrence' of LIFE Mission, was illegal and in violation of provisions of the FCRA.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered by the CBI for offences under IPC Section 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) read with Section 3 of the FCRA against Unitac Builders and Developers MD Santosh Eappen, Sane Ventures LLP, unknown officials of LIFE Mission Kerala and others.
Jose and Eappen filed separate pleas for quashing the CBI case, alleging that it was registered in a hasty manner.
During the hearings, LIFE Mission had submitted the complaint does not even make out a case prima facie the registration of the case "in hasty manner" indicated a deliberate attempt to malign the state government.
The alleged FCRA violation had snowballed into a major political issue with opposition parties alleging that Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case, had admitted before an NIA court that she had received Rs one crore ascommission from the project.
Opposition parties have alleged there was corruption involved in selection of the contractor by Red Crescent.
LIFE Mission (The Livelihood, Inclusion and Financial Empowerment Mission), a programme to provide secure and adequate housing to all landless and homeless families, was launched by the LDF government on September 28, 2016.
The project contemplates construction of housing units by utilising government funds, sponsorships, and funds of local self-government institutions.
In early 2017, the Emirates Red Crescent, the volunteer humanitarian organisation, affiliated to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, expressed willingness to provide about Rs 20 crore financial assistance for the construction of homes for the victims of the Kerala floods and also a health centre.
A total of 2.17 acres of land belonging to Wadakkanchery Municipality was made available for construction of the dwelling units and the health centre.
Thereafter, construction agreements were executed between the UAE consul general,Unitac Builders and Developers and Sane Ventures on July 31 2019 for 140 apartments of 500 sq ft each, and a mother and children health care centre with a total area of 4,000 sq ft.
