The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday subjected Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the UAE consulate-linked gold smuggling case, to marathon questioning at the Attakulangara Women’s Prison here.
Officials were unwilling to comment on the exact track of the interrogation. However, they indicated that there was a good chance the examination might also be focussed on Khaled Mohamed Ali Shoukry, an Egyptian national and the head of the finance department at the UAE consulate here when the gold smuggling operation ran undetected.
Swapna and her co-defendant, P. Sarith, were employed at the consulate during the same period and were reportedly well-acquainted with Mr. Shoukry.
No immunity
The Union Ministry of External Affairs had recently clarified that Mr. Shoukry had no diplomatic immunity.
The declaration had effectively rendered the Egyptian national vulnerable to prosecution by Central agencies probing the smuggling case. It could also result in the promulgation of an Interpol warrant for his arrest.
Officials said multiple depositions of gold case accused had spotlighted the “oversize role” Mr. Shoukry had allegedly played in the racket.
By one account, Mr. Shoukry had allegedly attempted to return the “diplomatic cargo” containing 30 kg of contraband gold to its port of origin in Dubai in July after Swapna and others sensed that the Customs was intent on examining the contents of the air freight addressed to a UAE consulate official here.
The Customs are also investigating whether M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had any role in the botched cover-up attempt.
The ED has verified travel records and found that Mr. Shoukry had travelled to Dubai with other accused in the case. The agency suspected that the group had used the trips to spirit away the proceeds from gold smuggling in foreign currency to Dubai.
Multiple inquiries
Swapna, a COFEPOSA detainee at the Attakulangara Women's Prison here, is the target of multiple inquiries by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Customs and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI is probing the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act violation aspect of the controversial LIFE Mission-UAE Red Crescent deal to build 144 dwellings for the poor in Thrissur. The builder had stated he had paid ₹4 crore as bribe to bag the contract and that Swapna and Shoukry were among the beneficiaries.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is also investigating the contract and has named Mr. Sivasankar and Swapna as accused in the case.
