Two ministers in Kerala are under the radar of the agencies investigating the controversial gold smuggling case. They are said to have visited the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram by breaching protocols. The Centre is gathering details of the visits of two state ministers to the consulate. The information obtained during the interrogation of Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the gold smuggling case, about the ministers’ visits has been handed over to the Intelligence Bureau and the Ministry of External Affairs. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the smuggling case, obtained information that the ministers breached protocol in visiting the consulate.
The two had gone for official and private purposes more than three times each. One minister also went for a visa for his son. As per protocol, ministers must seek the permission of the MEA to attend official functions at embassies and consulates. The permission should be sought through the Protocol Section of the State Public Administration Department. Even a consulate has to approach the Protocol Section to invite a state government representative for any event.
NIA plans to go to UAE
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is planning to go to the UAE as part of its investigation into the Trivandrum airport gold smuggling case. But, it has not yet placed a request with the MEA to seek cooperation of UAE in the investigation, sources in the ministry said. The NIA cannot investigate the case directly without the permission of the UAE government. The MEA should approach the UAE government through its embassy in India to seek cooperation in the investigation. If the NIA needs police help in the UAE, it will have to first approach the Interpol through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The ministry has requested the UAE government to allow the questioning of Rashid Al-Salami, who was the attaché at the Thiruvananthapuram consulate and who left India after the NIA started investigating the gold smuggling case. However, the UAE government has not yet responded to the request, sources said.
