Gold smuggling case: Kerala CM rejects Oppn’s demand for CBI probe

Thiruvananthapuram, July 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thusday rejected in the state Assembly the Opposition's demand for a High Court-monitored CBI probe into the gold smuggling case.

The accused in the case Swapna Suresh has alleged the involvement of the chief minister and his family in gold and currency smuggling.

The last day of the present session of the Kerala Assembly on Thursday ended on a tumultuous note when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ruled out the demand made by the Congress led Opposition for a High Court monitored CBI probe into the fresh revelations made by gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh.

Leader of Opposition V.D.Sateeshan who vehemently batted for a high court-monitored CBI probe saying the Enforcement Directorate (ED) engaged in the probe cannot be trusted, said: "There are reports that the ED wants the present case registered in Kerala be shifted to Bengaluru. The ED as all know is an agency which lacks credibility as it works on the directives of the government. Kerala on account of the gold smuggling case has lost crores of rupees by way of taxes and hence the only way out of this is a court-monitored CBI probe and the Kerala government should take it up with the Centre for this," said Satheesan.

Responding to it, Vijayan after thanking Satheesan for raising the issue of credibility of the ED, pointed out that AICC president is appearing before the ED.

"The State government has no role in all these as all these probes are decided by the Centre," said Vijayan.

Soon, the opposition benches were up on their feet and started sloganeering forcing the Speaker M.B.Rajesh to rush through the listed business of the day and wound up the day's session in a flash and thus the present session came to a close.

Trouble has been brewing in this case after Suresh gave a confession statement for the ED under 164 (5 ) of the Criminal Procedure Code before a magistrate and she herself revealed bits and pieces of it, which included an explosive one where in she said that Vijayan, his wife and their daughter indulged in smuggling gold and currency.

Following this the Congress and the BJP have been demanding Vijayan to either answer the questions she has posed , if not quit and face a probe, which has both been dismissed by Vijayan and the entire party is behind him organising a series of rallies and public meetings and the state has been flooded with huge posters giving him a clean chit.

But on Wednesday things turned sour after the ED approached the Supreme Court seeking a transfer of the gold smuggling cases from Kerala to Bengaluru and on Thursday the ED informed the court that if they are allowed , they will file her confession statement in a sealed cover before the court .

Source: IANS