The Customs has pressed for issuing a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Khaled Mohamed Ali Shoukry, former finance head of the UAE consulate and Confidential Partner of the UAE Consulate General, in the ₹1.3-crore dollar smuggling case.
The agency submitted before the Economic Offences Court, Ernakulam, that Mr. Shoukry, an Egyptian, did not enjoy any diplomatic immunity. He was recruited as an accountant of the UAE consulate, submitted Sasthamangalam S. Ajith Kumar, the Special Public Prosecutor for the Customs.
The counsel also explained the content of a letter issued by the Protocol Officer of the Ministry of External Affairs to Mr. Shoukry while his visa papers were cleared. The agency submitted that his arrest and interrogation were warranted in the dollar smuggling case in which Swapna Suresh and P.S. Sarith, accused in the diplomatic gold smuggling case, were also involved.
Customs case
The Customs case is that the Egyptian concealed the foreign currency in his handbag and took it to Cairo via Oman from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Swapna and Sarith accompanied him to Oman so that the currency would be safely smuggled from the airport. The Customs wants to arraign him as the third accused in the case.
The court has posted the case for order on November 11.
