Kochi: Gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh has accused the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of making an unsuccessful attempt to influence the Sharjah ruler to start an IT company for her daughter there.
The attempt failed as some quarters in Sharjah opposed the project, she said in the affidavit given before the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court.
Swapna Suresh, who was arrested in connection with smuggling of gold worth over Rs 14 crore in 2020, feared for her life after being released on bail due to which she recently gave the affidavit under 164 before the court.
The suggestion was presented before the Sharjah ruler when he visited the Chief Minister’s official residence of Cliff House during his Kerala visit in September 2017.
She said the discussion was held in a closed room in the presence of bureaucrats Nalini Netto and M Sivasankaran and a prospective partner for the project.
She claimed that she had got input of the meeting.
She also alleged that Biriyani was taken from the Consul General’s house to Cliff House
in abnormally big containers covered on top with foil paper in a vehicle.
The containers had metallic articles inside them. The Consul General was worried until the container reached home, she said.
Swapna said that she had deposed it before the Customs during her interrogation. But the customs have not bothered to probe into it, she alleged.
Swapna Suresh was held in connection with gold smuggling in Thiruvananthapuram airport in 2020. Kerala Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary V Sivasankar, was also some others arrested in the case which is being probed by the Customs, NIA and ED.
