THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a new development in the Life Mission scam case in Kerala, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated assets worth ₹5.38 crore in connection with the case.
According to the report, ED has confiscated properties belonging to the seventh accused in the case, Santhosh Eappen, Managing Director of Unitac Builders, and Swapna Suresh’s bank deposits. ED has taken this action while investigating the scam related to complaints about the project aimed at building houses for the 2018 flood victims.
ED is investigating Unitac Builders, the firm pay-off the contract for constructing residential units in Wadakkanchery for those who lost their homes in the 2018 floods. ED gathered information from Santhosh Eappen regarding the pay-off in awarding the contract for the LIFE Mission project in Wadakkanchery.
The ED has identified Swapna Suresh as an accused in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case, along with Santhosh Eappen and M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Earlier, Santhosh Eappen and Sivasankar, who were also accused in the gold smuggling case along with Swapna Suresh, were released on bail.
Santhosh Eappen had previously testified to the ED that Rs 4.5 crores were paid as a commission (bribe) out of the Rs19 crores paid by the UAE Red Crescent for the Life Mission to senior officials of the Chief Minister’s office.
The ED took up the case after the CBI registered a cheating case against the accused.
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