The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday summoned Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s additional private secretary in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities in the state government’s Life Mission project, people familiar with the development said.
The ED summons to CM Raveendran came a week after the federal anti-money laundering probe agency arrested Vijayan’s principal secretary in connection with the case. “ED has directed Raveendran to appear in its Kochi office on February 27,” an official familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity.
After questioning of Sivasankar, who was arrested on February 14, there were speculations that ED might summon Raveendran.
“After questioning Sivasankar and former Life Mission director and IAS officer UV Jose, the agency got some definite leads,” said the official quoted above.
The case pertains to the alleged diversion of funds donated by the international aid agency “Red Crescent” to construct a housing complex for flood-affected people at Vadakancherry in Thrissur district in 2019, as part of the Kerala government’s Life Mission project.
The deal was carried out through some officials of the UAE consulate and of the ₹18.50 crore received from the aid agency, ₹14.50 crore was spent and the remaining ₹4 crore was allegedly divided between some officials of the UAE consulate, state government officials and a couple of intermediaries.
Besides, alleged violations of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) norms were also reported as the Union government was not informed about the foreign assistance to the project.
Last week, a purported chat between Raveendran and Swapna Suresh, former executive secretary at the Consulate and main accused in gold smuggling and Life Mission cases, surfaced. Though HT could not verify authenticity of these chats, they purportedly showed both were in touch and shared advices and directions.
In one of the WahtsApp conversations, Sivasankar reportedly told Swapna to approach Raveendran for more details of the project, officials said. Raveendran was earlier questioned by ED in 2020 in connection with money laundering charges in the gold smuggling case. He appeared before the federal agency after three summons and got admitted to the hospital twice.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) has distanced itself from the powerful secretary. “Let the ED question anyone, including Raveendran, we have no problem,” CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan had said days after Sivasankar’s arrest, adding that central agencies cannot come near CM Vijayan.
Alleged kickbacks surfaced when central agencies were probing the sensational gold smuggling case in which 30 kg of smuggled gold was seized from the UAE consulate in the state capital in June 2020. When the lockers of main accused Swapna Suresh were searched in October 2020, central agencies found ₹1 crore cash and 2 kg gold. Later she reportedly told them that currency was the commission received for clinching a deal with the international aid agency “Red Crescent”.
She alleged that Sivasankar asked her to keep his commission in her locker. However, Sivasankar, who claimed that he was innocent, said he was implicated in the case by the gold smuggling lobby.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kochi has extended Sivasankar’s ED custody till February 24.