The Customs on Monday informed the Kerala High Court that if Swapna Suresh, one of the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, is given her statement recorded by the Customs, it would impede the investigation into the involvement of highly influential and affluent persons.
The Customs while opposing her plea for a directive to provide her recorded statement also added that her statement had made references to many highly placed influential persons. She had close proximity to high power centres. Besides, she commanded considerable influence over various political functionaries and foreign dignitaries.
The Customs submitted that they were closing in on some highly influential persons and the attempts to reach to top-level persons and officials in political and public life both in the country and abroad would be defeated if a copy of the statement was given to one of the prime accused. It was part of the investigation papers. Besides, the Criminal Procedure Code and the provisions of the Indian Evidence Act barred from providing statements made by an accused during the period of investigation.
Counsel for the accused submitted that the statements of the other accused had been made available and therefore she was entitled to get a copy of her own statement.
The court reserved its verdict.
