KOCHI: Out of the 44 accused involved in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, 37 have been granted bail, leaving seven still at large, including the former Consul General of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Many of the accused have had their accounts frozen, and their assets have been partially confiscated.

The main accused in the case, Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE Consulate, along with M. Sivasankar, who is facing charges from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in addition to Customs, was released after serving time in jail. Since the controversy, Swapna joined the High Range Rural Development Society (HRDS) in Palakkad but did not continue with her employment, and she is currently in Bengaluru.

M. Sivasankar, who spent an extended period in prison, has been granted bail and is undergoing treatment in Thiruvananthapuram. P.S. Sarith, who was arrested while trying to enter Karnataka, was released on bail and is also in Bengaluru. Ramees, who was arrested by Customs in 2020 and later by the ED in April 2023, is now out on bail and has testified that he had smuggled 167 kg of gold from Dubai.

No action could be taken against senior officials at the UAE consulate who were found to have facilitated the smuggling due to diplomatic protection. Although Customs applied to the central government to issue notices against them, it was not approved. These officials include former Consul General Jamal Hussain Alsabi, former attaché Rashid Khamis Al Ashmayi, and Egyptian citizen Khalid Muhammadali Shoukry, who served as an accountant. They are also accused in a case related to smuggling dollars abroad. Four other individuals, including Iqbal, Siddique, Mujeeb from Malappuram Vengara, and Nasaruddin from Tirur, are yet to be arrested.