THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Enforcement directorate took up the probe of reverse hawala deals, where the black money of certain VIPs was transferred abroad in the form of dollars via the diplomatic channel of UAE consulate. The agency is questioning Swapna and Sarith in jail as they revealed the details of reverse hawala deal to customs officials. The interrogation will span for three days.
Swapna’s in her testimony has framed certain ministers and certain individuals who occupy constitutional posts in the state government. ED taking up reverse hawala deal case will spike the heartbeats of VIPs. Customs is inquiring illegally transferring dollar abroad and ED is more concerned with black money and benami transactions in the case.
Swapna also concurred to the fact that she collected money from the VIPs after personally visiting them personally at their homes. Tower location and CCTV visuals will play a crucial role in the probe on Swapna’s links with VIPs. The involvement of M Sivasankar, CM’s principal secretary will be investigated separately. Swapna has also told the probe agencies that she was planning to launch an IT company in partnership with Sivasankar at Muscat. Sivasankar was even getting ready to take VRS from service for this purpose.
Meanwhile, sources in probe agencies say that, apart from the one VIP who gave her the bag containing money at her flat in Pettah, another ‘big shot’ gave two bags containing dollars at his official residence to Swapna Suresh.
Sources also said that these two bags were taken by Swapna along with two of her accomplices from UAE consulate. Swapan has also confessed that later these two bags were safely transferred to the big shot’s relative in UAE. As of now, Swapna has revealed the economic transaction that she has undertaken with half a dozen leaders.
She has also brought to light the involvement of another big shark, who wanted to establish a university in Sharjah. Dollars were illegally acquired through the financial agency in UAE consulate and the foreign currency exchange centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Probe agencies will also investigate whether illegal black money also includes the kickbacks received to these VIPs from various government programmes. It is suspected that at least Rs 100 crore were transferred abroad after converting them to dollars
ED’s probe is centred on: