Dollar smuggling case: Court grants bail to M Sivasankar

Sivasankar, who in Judicial custody for over three months had been granted bail by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court on Monday within the Kerala Gold Smuggling Case being probed by Customs Department, nonetheless, remained in jail as a result of the case registered towards him relating to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) greenback smuggling.The Economic Offences Court, whereas granting bail to the previous principal secretary to the Kerala CMO noticed {that a} main a part of the investigation in relation to Sivasankar’s alleged restricted position is full.”Having regard to the nature of alleged minimal complicity of Sivasankar and stage of the investigation, further detention of Sivasankar in custody, is no longer essential for the successful future investigation of the case,” the courtroom stated.However, the courtroom stated the offence alleged towards Sivasankar is critical in nature that requires intensive probe.”Sivasankar has sufficient knowledge with regard to the smuggling of foreign currencies prepared with the help of prime accused. Such knowledge and his culpable failure to bring the smuggling into the notice of appropriate authority despite the fact that he was a Senior Civil Servant during the relevant time, shall be viewed seriously,” it added.The greenback smuggling got here to gentle through the investigation of the Kerala gold smuggling case, which is at the moment being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Customs division.The matter, which pertains to the smuggling of gold within the state by way of diplomatic channels, had come to gentle after 30 kg gold price Rs 14.82 crores smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2020.