Sivasankar was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kochi on 12 March night after he complained of uneasiness.
Published Mar 12, 2023 | 2:23 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 12, 2023 | 2:24 PM
Retired IAS Sivasankar speaking at an event. (Screengrab)
The former principal secretary to Kerala chief minister, M Sivasankar, was admitted at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kochi on the night of Saturday, 12 March, after he complained of uneasiness, sources said.
He had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and was remanded in judicial custody till 21 March.
The ED is probing an alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act or FCRA in the Life Mission, a flagship housing project of the state government.
Government Medical College sources said Sivasankar was admitted to the prison cell of the hospital.
The CBI filed an FIR in Kochi in 2020 under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 35 of the FCRA on a complaint by the then Wadakkanchery Congress MLA Anil Akkara, listing Santosh Eapen — managing director of Unitac Builders & Developers in Kochi — as the first accused and Sane Ventures as the second accused.
The two companies had undertaken construction based on the agreement they entered into with Red Crescent, an international humanitarian movement, which agreed to provide ₹20 crore towards the Life Mission project.
The Congress has been alleging that there was corruption involved in the selection of the contractor by Red Crescent.
The alleged FCRA violation and corruption in the project snowballed into a major political issue at that time, with Opposition parties claiming that Swapna Suresh — the prime suspect in the gold-smuggling case — had admitted before an NIA court that she received ₹1 crore as commission from the project. She reportedly claimed that the money was meant for Sivasankar.
However, the Life Mission CEO submitted before a Kochi court that Unitac and Sane Ventures had undertaken the construction based on the agreement with Red Crescent and directly accepted foreign contributions from Red Crescent, which is a foreign agency.
The CEO also contended that the companies that signed an agreement with the Red Crescent did not come under the categories of entities prohibited from receiving any foreign contribution as per Section 3 of the FCRA.
Opposition leaders alleged that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was targeting Congress legislators who exposed the unholy nexus between him and corrupt elements.
Opposition leader VD Satheesan said no threats from the chief minister would be entertained and the Opposition would continue to expose the government.
On 28 February, Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan attempted to use the remand report against Sivasankar to allege the involvement of the chief minister in the kickbacks, but it provoked the latter.
An angry Vijayan responded by warning the Opposition that intimidation and misinterpretation would not be tolerated.
He also asked the Congress why it was playing second fiddle to the ED, which was targeting Congress leaders everywhere else outside the state.
On 7 March, Vijayan’s additional private secretary CM Raveendran appeared before the ED and was questioned on the alleged violation of the FCRA in Life Mission.
(With PTI inputs)
