Gold smuggling: Sivasankar withdraws bail plea from economic offences court in Kochi

Dec 07, 2020

Kochi (Kerala) [India], December 7 : M Sivasankar, the former principal secretary of the Kerala Chief Minister's Office, on Monday withdrew his bail application from Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offences) court in connection with the gold smuggling case.
The bail application was withdrawn from the special court in Kochi as his bail application is also pending before the Kerala High Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter tomorrow.
Notably, the Customs department had opposed the bail application in the special (Economic Offences) court by stating that Sivasankar had revealed crucial information regarding the smuggling of gold, which the Customs alleged he had withheld earlier.
Sivasankar had moved bail applications in the Kerala High Court in connection with the case, related to the smuggling of gold into the state through diplomatic channels, being probed by the Enforcement Directorate and the Customs department.
Customs had, on November 24, recorded the arrest of Sivasankar in the matter.
A Principal Sessions court in Kochi had, on November 17, dismissed Sivasankar's bail petition in the money laundering case.
The case, which is currently being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency and the Customs department, pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels.