Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has indicated M Sivasankar, former private secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is the mastermind of the corruption in the Life Mission project.
The ED has received WhatsApp chats, which show that it was Sivasankar who prepared the letter for Red Crescent two days before signing the MoU for the project.
With Sivasankar continuing with his decision not to cooperate with the probe, ED summoned ion, LifeMission's ex-CEO U V Jose to testify.
The MoU of the Vadakancherry Life Mission project was signed on July 11, 2019. The WhatsApp chats reveal that it was Sivasankar who suggested how the MoU should be drafted, how the consulate should intervene in it, and how the supporting letters should be issued. On July 9, 2019, two days before the MoU was signed, Sivasankar gave these instructions to Swapna via WhatsApp.
The content of the letter was explained in the WhatsApp message sent at 12.30 pm that day. A second message, a minute later, said the consulate should send a letter to the Chief Minister asking him to give instructions to speed up the implementation of the project.
Sivasankar also advised Swapna to call Ravindran. The central agency believes the person mentioned in the message is C M Ravindran, the chief minister's then additional private secretary.
Sivasankar also asked Swapna to send the letters the day before signing the MoU. Red Crescent had launched a Rs 21.72 crore scheme to build houses and a health centre for flood victims. The ED believes that Sivasankar's motive was to award the contract to construct the buildings to Unitac and pocket the commission.
Jose had told ED that Sivasankar introduced Unitac MD Santosh Eapan to him. Chartered Accountant Venugopal had also testified before ED that he had opened the locker three times on Sivasankar's instructions.
