KOCHI: In the much-discussed life mission case, the court has remanded M Sivasankar who was the former principal secretary to the chief minister. The enforcement directorate has questioned Sivasankar for more than nine days but never asked for more days of custody from the court. Meanwhile, Sivasankar has moved the court with a bail plea citing his deteriorating health.

As per the officials, even after nine days, the former principal secretary is elusive with questions and is not cooperative with the officials. All the while, he has never admitted to siphoning money or partnering in the life mission scam. When asked about his shady WhatsApp chats with another gold scam accused Swapna Suresh, Sivasankar labeled them as purely personal ones.

Sivasankar was later questioned along with his chartered accountant Venugopal and life mission former CEO UV Jose, and the officials have recorded statements that can cost big for the former principal secretary. The bank locker in the name of Venugopal and Swapna was identified as Sivasankar’s and the chartered accountant has admitted to starting the locker after instructions from Sivasankar.

Apart from just a handful of names, the ED looks to extend its search across the political milieu in the coming days. The officials are busy tracking down the WhatsApp chats to get some strands of evidence to start with.