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Swapna fined ₹6cr, Sivasankar ₹50L in Kerala gold smuggling case
₹6 crore penalty each has been imposed on Jamal Husein Alzaabi, then Consul General, UAE Consulate, Thiruvananthapuram, and Rashed Khamis Alimusaiqri Al Ashmei, then Admin Atache of the Consulate
Kochi: The customs department has imposed a total fine of ₹66.6 crore on the 44 accused in the case related to the smuggling of gold through diplomatic baggage at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on July 5, 2020.
The Customs had seized gold weighing around 30 kilograms and valued at around ₹14.8 crore from diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate in the city.
Kochi Customs Commissioner Rajendra Kumar has imposed penalties of ₹6 crore and ₹50 lakh on Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the case, and M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively. Once the top bureaucrat in the state, Sivasankar was arrested by the Customs in November 2020 following testimony by Swapna that he was in the know of smuggling activities and abetted them.
The order said, “Sivasankar maintained a proximity with Swapna Suresh and Consul General Jamal Alzaabi. The contention that he was not aware of the gold smuggling through the diplomatic channel through Air Cargo Complex in Thiruvananthapuram does not appear to be correct and believable.”
Both Swapna and Sivasankar were unavailable for comment.
Additionally, ₹6 crore penalty each has also been imposed on Jamal Husein Alzaabi, the then Consul General, UAE Consulate, Thiruvananthapuram, and Rashed Khamis Alimusaiqri Al Ashmei, the then Admin Atache of the Consulate.
The key accused in the case, PS Sarith, Sandeep Nair and KT Rameez, have also been asked to pay fines of ₹6 crore each in the case. S Jayashankar, the husband of Swapna Suresh and an accused, was directed to pay a fine of ₹2 crore.
Apart from fines, the Customs also ordered confiscation of cars and fixed deposits belonging to the accused.
The fines have been imposed under section 112 (a) and (b) of the Customs Act, 1962 for improper transportation of goods, the order stated.
Between July, 2019 and June 2020, around 136.8 kg of gold was successfully smuggled by the racket through the air cargo complex in Thiruvananthapuram as per circumstantial evidence, the Customs said.
The prosecution proceedings against the accused in the case will be held at Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (economic offences) court.
