Sivashankar receives CBI notice after Customs files chargesheet

KOCHI: The CBI has issued a notice to interrogate M Sivashankar, former principal secretary to Chief Minister, after the Customs filed a chargesheet in the dollar smuggling case.

The Customs registered the dollar smuggling case following the revelation made by Swapna that Khalid Muhammad Ali Shoukri, the former finance head at the UAE consulate, had smuggled dollars to Egypt. Rs 1.90 lakh dollars (Rs. 1.30 crore) that Shoukri smuggled abroad is the commission received in the Life Mission project. Customs had stated that Sivashankar was paid Rs 1 crore as bribe and this amount was seized from Swapna's lockers.

The UAE Red Crescent had approached the government with a promise to provide housing to those who lost their homes after the 2018 floods. The project cost was one crore dirhams (Rs 18.75 crores). Of this, 30 lakh dirhams were received as commission by the UAE Consulate. Customs found that Sivashankar received Rs 1 crore as commission from this. The High Court had earlier rejected the plea filed by the CEO of Life Mission to quash the CBI case.