Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said his former Principal Secretary M. Sivasankar could face “stringent action” if the Central agencies probing the gold smuggling case found evidence of any wrongdoing on his part.
He said rampant public speculation about Mr. Sivasankar’s alleged closeness with a “controversial woman” (Swapna Suresh) had prompted the government to remove the official from the post he held in the Chief Minister’s Office. It did not help the officer that Central agencies had named the woman as the second accused in the gold smuggling case.
Ideally, Mr. Sivasankar should have exercised caution and kept such “controversial characters” at bay. He should have stayed clear from any action that could potentially jeopardise the reputation of his office.
A committee headed by Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta and Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Rajesh Kumar Singh would probe how the woman gained employment as a marketing liaison officer of the Space Park project. (Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL), an appendage of the State IT Department, heads the project.)
The police were investigating whether the “woman” had faked her academic credentials to gain employment in KSITIL and whether any individual or entity aided her.
(The Cantonment police have registered a case against Swapna and also a global consultancy that purportedly recommended her to the job.)
When pressed why the government was reluctant to suspend Mr. Sivasankar, Mr. Vijayan said the government could not act on assumptions. It could only follow due process. The IT Department had complained to the police about the appointment of the woman.
Let the law enforcement complete its investigation and report the findings. The government was under no compulsion to protect any wrongdoer, he said.
Mr. Vijayan said the woman had interacted with State officials in her capacity as a UAE consulate staff member. She always arrived with the Consul General and appeared to act at his behest. The government had no basis to doubt her character at the time. The Special Branch had given no cautionary report against her. “Who could predict that she would exploit her access to the consulate and the government to indulge in economic crime that had national security implications? She did not keep the stature of her office and stooped low,” he said. The National Investigation Agency was probing the case. It appeared to have found that the proceeds from the gold smuggling operation had benefited terrorist forces.
Welcomes probe
Mr. Vijayan said he welcomed the probe. “If the investigation reaches my office, so be it. The probe has quickened the heartbeat of some persons. Let the names of the big sharks behind the crime tumble out. Let us see which all big shots are exposed. If the probe is politically loaded against the government, I will respond at the juncture and when I have evidence. Currently, I feel the NIA is on the right track. It is unfair to prejudge the outcome of the inquiry. The media should allow the agency to get about its business and not attempt to mislead the investigators to save the skin of some others whom the fast unfolding probe has perturbed deeply,” he said.
( Last week, Mr. Vijayan had said the investigation would lead to the doorstep of some persons in the leadership of the United Democratic Front.)