Kochi: Gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh, who is in the eye of the storm after her revelations against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter, will be questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in the Life Mission case.
This is for the first time that the central agency will be questioning her in connection with the case.
The CBI earlier issued notice to Swapna, asking her to appear before it on Monday. Her co-accused P S Sarith was earlier questioned by the CBI.
The case relates to the bringing of foreign investment for the State Government-run Life Mission housing project without the permission of the central government.
Both Sarith and Swapna had earlier given a statement that UAE former Consular General Jamal Hussain Al-Zaabi acted as middleman in arranging commission in the Life Mission deal.
The CBI has called Swapna for questioning to get more clarity in her earlier statement. The CBI is also planning to elicit from her more clarifications on her latest disclosures.
It was in the course of the investigation into the gold smuggling case that more details on the Life Mission bribery and dollar trafficking came out.
As many as Rs 18.50 crore was collected through the UAE Consulate in the Kerala capital for the Life Mission Project in Vadakkanchery in Thrissur district. Out of this Rs 14.50 crore was spent on the project. The case is that the rest of the money was given as bribe to many people, including government officials.
Unitac MD Santhosh Eapen, who took up the contract work for the project, was earlier questioned by the CBI.
Santhosh gave a statement to the CBI that he had given 3.5 crore US dollar to Sandeep Nair and Egyptian citizen Khalid Ali Shukri who was an employee of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Eapen also said that the dollar was bought from the black market and he gave five iPhones to Swapna.
The Supreme Court had earlier rejected the plea of Eapen and Life Mission Project former CEO U V Jose that the ongoing CBI inquiry in the case be scrapped.
The inquiry by the State Vigilance wing in the Life Mission case has not reached anywhere.
