Kerala Gold Smuggling Accused Swapna Suresh Tells ED That Pinarayi Vijayan Met UAE Diplomat Multiple Times; CMO Denies

In a startling development, Kerala diplomatic gold smuggling case's prime accused Swapna Suresh is said to have told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a statement that the State's Chief Minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan had help multiple meetings with the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2017, reports Times of India.

Suresh has told the investigating authorities that Vijayan had also 'unofficially' recommended his now suspended principal secretary M Sivasankar as the State government's official point of contact with the UAE's consulate.

As per the purported admission by Suresh, meetings were held at CM Vijayan's official residence in Thiruvananthpuram.

Meanwhile, CM Vijayan's office has denied the claims and has called them fabricated. It has pushed that the said statement is an outcome of a well-calculated campaign against CM Vijayan's Government in the State. It should also be noted that CM Vijayan has consistently denied knowing Suresh.

Meanwhile, CM Vijayan's former principal secretary Sivasankar has been interrogated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Customs and the ED several times over his links to Suresh. he is also alleged to have played a pivotal role in getting Suresh a job at the state-owned SpacePark in Thiruvananthapuram.