The Customs on Friday submitted a 3,000-page chargesheet in the Kerala gold smuggling case after 15 months of investigation, raids, recording statements which has hogged the limelight for the high-profile accused.
M Sivasankar, principal secretary to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was arrested in the case as the Customs arraigned 29 as accused triggering a political storm.
Sivasankar spent many months in jail and was then released on bail but later stands suspended from service.
According to sources, the charge sheet has arraigned Sivasankar as the 29th accused for failing to take any action despite being aware of the happenings.
It also mentions that the probe, however, did not lead to any evidence of using the money raised through smuggling gold for any terrorist activities.
The 29 people include those who were directly involved in carrying gold, those who bought it and those who acted as agents.
The smuggling case tumbled out on 5 July 2020, when the Customs arrested Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate in Kochi, for allegedly smuggling gold in a diplomatic baggage destined for the Consulate.
Swapna Suresh, who was a former employee of the UAE Consulate, and her associate Sandip Nair were arrested by the National Investigation Agency from Bengaluru a few days later.
While Sarith is the first accused, Swapna is second and Sandeep the third accused.