ED registers case on charges of money laundering in Kerala gold smuggling scandal

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case on charges of money laundering in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case.
The agency will shortly record the statement of the accused and ascertain whether funds were laundered allegedly earned through the smuggling scandal.

The case has been registered on the basis of an FIR registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier this month.

The NIA had booked four accused including a woman suspect for their alleged involvement in smuggling 30 kilograms of gold worth Rs 14.82 crore in a diplomatic baggage in Kerala.

Sarith, Swapna Prabha Suresh, and Sandeep Nair of Thiruvananthapuram and Fazil Fareed of Ernakulum were booked by NIA earlier this month after 30 kilograms of 24 carat gold worth Rs 14.82 crore was seized at Trivandrum International Airport on 5 July by the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Kochi.

The NIA earlier this week had told a special court that Suresh, Nair and others conspired to damage the country's monetary stability by smuggling large quantity of gold from abroad.

The NIA had also claimed that it is suspected that the accused had used the proceeds of smuggling for financing terrorism through various means.

IAS officer M Sivasakar was removed as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state IT Secretary over his alleged links with Suresh and other accused in the case.