The Enforcement Directorate (ED) intensified its money laundering investigation into the Sabarimala gold scandal on Friday, summoning former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administrative officer S Sreekumar for questioning. Sreekumar, who was implicated in the misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols, was recently released on bail by a Kollam court.
ED officials focused their interrogation on his role in signing off on documents when the idols were sent to Chennai for gold plating. This is as the ED continues to investigate the financial transactions relating to the cases being investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Another move being made by the agency is to summon the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, who secured bail just a day before. Murari Babu, a former official of TDB, was subjected to questioning recently due to this.
Meanwhile, the political wrangle over the scandal continues, with prominent Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala holding Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responsible for the delays, which led to the release of the accused persons on bail. He said: “This is the attitude of the Home Ministry, which is under the Chief Minister, in not sanctioning the prosecution. The delays in the lab results are also part of the same plot to ensure the accused get statutory bail. A Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry is needed to find out the extent of the ‘misappropriation’.”
Echoing these demands, Bharatiya Janata Party state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar sharply criticised the Chief Minister, challenging him to hand the case over to the CBI if he has "any shame left." Chandrasekhar expressed complete distrust in the SIT, citing that an investigation by the state government would only shield the accused and ultimately result in an acquittal. While the High Court recently praised the SIT for following a systematic investigation, Chandrasekhar said that the interstate implications of the case require the expertise of a central agency in tracing the masterminds behind the theft of more than 4 kgs of gold.
Also read: Key accused gets bail in Sabarimala case as SIT misses deadline
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