The National Investigation Agency (NIA) interrogated M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, for nearly nine hours at its office here on Monday in connection with the probe into the smuggling of gold into the country through air cargo shipments addressed to the consulate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Thiruvananthapuram.
The second round of interrogation, which began around 10 a.m., was wound up by 7 p.m. The NIA has issued notice to Mr. Sivasankar to reappear for further questioning at 10 a.m on Tuesday. The investigating team was tight-lipped on whether the agency had given a clean chit to him. Mr. Sivasankar’s lawyer in Kochi termed the continuing interrogation as a routine investigative practice to ascertain the facts in the case.
Mr. Sivasankar, who had left his home in Thiruvananthapuram early morning, reached the NIA office at Kadavanthra by 9.30 a.m. The agency had questioned the bureaucrat for four hours at the police club in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Speculations were rife about his possible arrest by the NIA on the alleged charge of abetment to smuggling. Mr. Sivasankar had told both the NIA and the Customs that that he knew Swapna at a familial level and had no knowledge of the crime or other aspects of her character.
For clarification
It is learnt that the NIA wanted further clarification from Mr. Sivasankar on whether he was aware of the role played by the key accused, including Ms. Swapna, P.S. Sarith and Sandeep Nair, in the gold smuggling. He came under the radar of the agency and the Customs following his alleged association with Ms. Swapna, a former employee of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
Mr. Sivasankar was suspended from service “in view of the wider ramifications of the case.” An inquiry by Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta had found that he had “made a reference to appoint a person (Swapna),” working at the time as secretary to the Consul General, UAE, as Operations Manager, Space Park. The committee had also pointed out that “such association and frequent contacts with a foreign consulate official” violated the All India Service Conduct Rules, 1968.
