The Enforcement Directorate has moved the Kerala High Court against the registration of a criminal case by the State crime branch against certain officials for forcing Swapna Suresh, prime accused in the diplomatic gold smuggling and money laundering case, to give accusatory statements against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The petition by P Radhakrishnan, Deputy Director, Enforcement Directorate, Kochi sought to quash the case or alternatively pleaded for a CBI probe into the case.

The FIR has charged unnamed officials with charges of conspiracy, threatening, forging an incorrect document, and others. It was launched on the basis of the statements of two woman civil police officers who were allegedly on guard duty while Swapna Suresh was in custody. The alleged statements were made by the constables during an inquiry conducted by the State police into the leakage of an audio recording purportedly containing the voice of accused Swapna Suresh.

Radhakrishan alleged that the FIR had been registered with an oblique motive to put pressure on the investigating officers. It was aimed not only at derailing the statutory investigation into the offence of money laundering committed by highly influential persons in the State but also, ensuring that the trial did not take place in a fair and impartial manner.

He said that when Swapna Suresh was produced before the magistrate court in the money laundering case, she did not make any such complaint of pressure or coercion on her before the court. In fact when enquired by the Judge she had told that she did not have any complaints.

He claimed M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to Chief Minister, now out on bail in the money laundering case, was the mastermind behind the registration of the FIR. He had been influencing other accused and using the state machinery to fabricate false evidence against the ED officials, he alleged. It was nothing but interference in the investigation of the ED and opposed to the law.

The petitioner contended that the registration of FIR was wholly illegal and had been instituted without resorting to the mandatory requirements under Section 195 of CrPC.

Meanwhile, a recorded statement of Swapna Suresh attached to the petition claimed that the Assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan had made an investment in the Middle East College. She had also revealed in the statement that the Speaker had once met the ruler of Sharjah who verbally agreed to provide land for starting the college in Sharjah.

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