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Kerala CM’s principal secretary shifted over ‘fraud’
An embrassed chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan transferred his principal secretary M Sivasankar, who was close to Suresh.
Seven years after a Kerala chief minister’s office was roiled by a fraud in which one of the main accused was a well-connected woman, the current chief minister’s office has been embroiled in a similar case.
Swapna Suresh, a senior information technology consultant to the Kerala government was fired on Monday, a day after her role in the smuggling of gold through diplomatic channels came to light with the seizure of 30 kg of gold from the UAE, ostensibly being sent to its consulate in the state capital.
Suresh, whose work experience includes stints at the UAE consulate, Air India, and the UAE airport, is fluent in Arabic, and has connections in high places, is allegedly the brain behind the scheme, and is on the run.
An embrassed chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan transferred his principal secretary M Sivasankar, who was close to Suresh.
“The CM’s principal secretary M Sivasankar has been transferred with immediate effect and his charge has been entrusted with Mir Mohammad IAS,” a brief statement from the CM’s office said.
In 2013, then CM Oomen Chandy’s office was similarly embarrassed in the so-called solar fraud; back then, it was a woman named Saritha Nair who was one of the main perpetrators of the fraud and it was alleged that she was connected with people in the CMO.
On Tuesday, opposition parties sought a central agency probe into the gold smuggling incident. They said the CM was aware of Suresh’s appointment and that she was given key responsibilities. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.
But the CM played down the controversy. “She was hired by a placement agency. And (the) customs (department) also made it clear nobody called from the CM’s office to bail her out. Some people are creating a smoke screen to portray the government in bad light,” he said.
The customs department seized gold from an air cargo consignment from the United Arab Emirates to the country’s consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday after securing permission from the ministry of external affairs. Suresh, who was working as the operational manager of Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited under the state IT Ministry, went into hiding after the seizure, following which the customs department raided her flat in the state capital. Sarith Kumar, a former employee of the consulate, was arrested by customs. After his arrest, he reportedly disclosed the role of Suresh.
A statement issued by the UAE embassy said the mission in Thiruvananthapuram and its diplomatic staff had no role in the matter. The statement said the embassy “condemns the attempted misuse of diplomatic channels by an individual engaged in smuggling activity” and “firmly rejected such acts”.
“The UAE looks forward to fully cooperating with Indian customs authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter and urges stringent legal action against those involved,” the statement added.
People familiar with developments, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the diplomatic bag apparently had the required authorisation, including documentation regarding its contents and a tamper-proof seal.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, authorities in the receiving state cannot open a diplomatic bag even if they have suspicions about its contents. The bag can only be opened in the presence of officials or diplomats of the sending state. This was done in the case of the UAE’s diplomatic bag after receiving the required permission, the people said.
Media reports suggest that the customs department was on he lookout after a gang arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from a popular actress spoke of a a gold smuggling operation in which a well-connected woman was involved.
Hindustan Times couldn’t immediately ascertain whether Suresh and Sarith had used the diplomatic bag to smuggle gold previously.
