Kochi: M Sivasankar, the former principal secretary to the chief minister, had made benami investments worth crores of rupees in a wind farm in Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, according to the information obtained by investigators.
With this, the investigations of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the alleged money laundering of the accused in the gold smuggling case will extend to Nagercoil.
Sivasankar established close ties with wind power companies in Nagercoil during his tenure as the chairman of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). According to the information available with the ED, some high-ranking officials of the state also invested black money in the wind farms through Sivasankar.
The ED got the first clues about Sivasankar’s ‘benami’ investments from the statements of his chartered accountant P Venugopal.
Investigating teams have recovered the WhatsApp chats Sivasankar had with Venugopal during the time when details of the bank locker of Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case, had come out. In the chats, the suspended bureaucrat suggests that his chartered account friend should stay away from Kerala for some time and go to Nagercoil or some other place.
There are indications that Jamal Husein Al Zaabi, the former consul general at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, has investments in a German company that has installed windmills in Nagercoil.
Al Zaabi's business interests have been revealed to the investigating agencies by Swapna Suresh, who was his secretary when she worked at the consulate.
According to Swapna’s statements, when she was removed from the post of the secretary, the consul general had told her that she would be made a partner in a German business venture.
Huge profits from Nagercoil wind farms
In the Nagercoil region, which gets good winds in all the 12 months of a year, wind companies can recover their investment in seven years. In other parts of India, it can take up to 10 years.
It costs Rs 15 crore to install a windmill. Individual investments are allowed in windmills in return for a stake in the project. Apart from Indian companies, those from Germany, Denmark and Spain are also active in the sector in the country.
Two more officials from CM's office to be questioned
Central agencies are preparing to summon two more officials holding important positions in the chief minister's office to Kochi for questioning as they try to obtain more information about the influence that was wielded by Sivasankar and his involvement in the functioning of the chief minister's office.
Customs will now seek clarification on certain matters from the principal secretary (coordination) to the chief minister.
Both Customs and ED will take statements from former key employees who were among the CM's staff. The Customs had obtained details from a retired senior official in the CM's office.
