Kerala CM was aware of my recruitment, says Swapna Suresh in gold smuggling case

With a statement of Kerala, gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was aware of her recruitment to a government agency coming out, the Opposition Congress and BJP stepped up demand for Vijayan's resignation.

It was in her statement to the Enforcement Directorate that Swapna, who was a former employee of the UAE consulate in Kerala, stated that her appointment to Space Park under the state electronics and IT department was made with knowledge of the Chief Minister. Swapna also said in the statement that she had met the Chief Minister at least six times with the chief minister's former secretary M Sivasankar while she was serving as secretary at the UAE consulate.

ED, which had registered a case against the gold smuggling accused, submitted the statements before a local court in Kochi on Wednesday.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress said that Vijayan should make an introspection whether he should continue as Chief Minster anymore. BJP state president K Surendran said that the central agencies may even quiz the Chief Minister in connection with his links with the smuggling accused.

Meanwhile, the customs is learned to have summoned Sivasankar again in connection with his nexus with the gold smuggling accused.