The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted that Swapna Suresh, Sandeep Nair, P.S. Sarith, and M. Sivasankar have accumulated several huge movable assets in their name through gold smuggling.
In its additional complaint filed before the Principal Sessions Judge, Ernakulam, which is trying the money laundering case booked against the accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the agency on Thursday said the accused also concealed the ill-gotten money and attempted to project the movable assets gained through it as untainted.
Sarith, Swapna, and Sandeep got involved in gold smuggling, earned lucrative profits, and amassed movable assets. Sivasankar knowingly assisted the trio in gold smuggling, it said.
The former bureaucrat received illegal gratification for facilitating the award of contract of UAE Red Crescent-sponsored LIFE Mission project in Wadakkanchery to Unitac Builders and Sane Ventures. He parked the money in a bank locker held jointly by Swapna and P. Venugopal, a chartered accountant, the ED submitted.
‘Bribe’ in bank locker
The ₹1.5 crore seized by the National Investigation Agency from the bank locker was bribe received by Sivasankar from Unitac, the ED submitted. Sarith, Swapna, Sandeep, and Sivasankar committed the offence of money laundering and rendered themselves liable for punishment under the Act, it submitted.
The agency also submitted that it had provisionally attached ₹1.85 crore found in the bank locker of the accused and fixed deposits in their name.
The agency presented a series of WhatsApp messages exchanged among the accused and the questions they raised. While requesting the court to take cognizance of the offences committed by the accused, the ED also sought orders from the court to confiscate the properties procured through money laundering.
