Swapna Suresh and the other accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case kept the proceeds of the crime in a bank locker, which was jointly opened with a third person as instructed by M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary of the Chief Minister, according to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The money and gold seized from the bank locker of the accused were inconsistent with her statement and the timeline and the purpose of operations of the bank locker does not match with the contents of the locker.
The amount and the gold kept in the locker were the proceeds of the crime. The persons who knowingly assisted her in money laundering have to be further examined in detail, the agency submitted before the trial court, while opposing the bail application of Swapna.
The accused in the case have committed offences under the Money Laundering Act, it said.
The agency reiterated the argument that Swapna had considerable influence in the Office of the Chief Minister and, if released on bail, she would tamper with the evidence and influence the witnesses.
Her release on bail would also hinder the progress of the investigation, The investigation in the case was progressing and the persons connected with the crime needed to be questioned, it submitted.
