Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is strengthening its Trivandrum International Airport gold smuggling case and taking it beyond the purview of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) by arming itself with the 32-page statement of the second accused Swapna Suresh.
The NIA gave details from the statement, prepared in English, describing Swapna's acquaintance, closeness and influence with Chief Minister Pinaryai Vijayan, the chief minister's office and the former principal secretary to the chief minister M Sivasankar.
Assistant Solicitor General P Vijayakumar quoted from pages 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 of her confessional statement while appearing for the NIA in court.
On the first day of the hearing on Swapna's bail plea, the Assistant Solicitor General had begun the prosecution's argument by praising the Chief Minister for writing a letter to the central government and seeking an NIA investigation into the case. But, on the second day, the CM's office came under fire.
However, while the NIA said that Sivasankar refused to help Swapna when she had called him to get the diplomatic parcel with gold seized by Customs on June 30 released, it did not say why the former bureaucrat did not provide any assistance.
The NIA did not indicate if Sivasankar had knowledge that the diplomatic baggage contained gold. The agency had questioned him about this during his interrogation and it has recorded his statement.
It may explain in the coming days why Sivasankar, the former IT secretary who could influence appointments at the Space Park under the IT department by disregarding norms, did not help Swapna get the baggage released.
The NIA also cited Swapna's statement that the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram could not function properly without her even for a single day.
The accused alleged that the Assistant Solicitor General's presence instead of the regular prosecutor who appears in NIA court hinted at political interest in the case.
The fact that the Assistant Solicitor General, who had not appeared even in the serious Kashmir terror recruitment case, had come personally to oppose their bail plea in the smuggling case was evidence of political motivation, the accused said.
Although Swapna gave details of the commission she earned while working on behalf of the UAE Consulate and the financial gains she made, the NIA argued that the disclosures were intended to conceal the wealth she created by smuggling gold.
