KOCHI: Commissionerate of customs (Preventive) on Friday submitted its prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case at Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial magistrate court. The report, which has nearly 3,000 pages, has 29 accused.
Sarith PS, Swapna Suresh, Sandeep Nair, KT Ramees, Jalal AM and Rabins Hameed are the first six accused. Former principal secretary M Sivasankar is named as the 29th accused. The chargesheet was filed in several carton boxes at the court at 11.30am.
The case pertains to the smuggling of 167kg of gold on several occasions using baggage claiming diplomatic immunity. Customs found that the accused sold the gold to jewellers for direct profit or re-invested the proceeds of the crime in the smuggling network.
In the report, customs alleged that Sivasankar was aware that the staff used to call the illegal activities at the Consulate by using the code ‘Consul is eating mangoes’. According to sources, the complaint states that Swapna informed him that the diplomats used to smuggle cosmetics and other items available in duty free shops and sell them in Beemapally in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to sources, the complaint states that Swapna in her voluntary statement on 27.11.2020 deposed that Sivasankar had informed that the police had received an intelligence input regarding the smuggling activities done through the Consulate and warned them to be careful. Interestingly, customs included customs broker Godfrey Prathap and Emirates Sky Cargo as well in the accused list.
According to sources, customs in its final report mentions the jewellers to whom the smuggled gold was sold to. The smuggled gold even reached the jewellery shops in Hyderabad. Further seizures couldn’t be made as smuggled gold were sold in smaller quantities as ornaments, source said.
Although there is an NIA case in connection with the incident to probe terror funding through smuggling, customs has not mentioned in the complaint that the smuggled gold was used for funding terrorism.
Customs has reportedly approached the ministry of external affairs to decide on arraigning diplomats at the UAE Consulate including former Consul General. Swapna and Sarith had given confession statements. But they were arraigned as accused in the chargesheet and have not been made approvers.
The case pertains to the seizure of over 30kgs of gold from a diplomatic baggage at Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5, 2020. Follow up investigation revealed that the gang had smuggled 167kg of gold on 15 occasions in 2019 and 2020. National Investigation Agency, enforcement directorate and income tax department had conducted a probe into the incident.
