Swapna Suresh, one of the key accused in the sensational diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, said here on Thursday that she would release a voice clip of a discussion she had with Shaj Kiran, whom she claimed was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s interlocutor, on Friday.
“My lawyer and a few others have got the voice clip. They will release it tomorrow (Friday). I don’t know how and where it is going to explode,” she told the media after the High Court rejected an anticipatory bail application that she and co-accused in the case P.S. Sarith moved on Thursday.
Undue pressure
Swapna had said that Shaj Kiran pressured her to withdraw her damning statements before a magistrate court against the Chief Minister. She said her on Thursday that she would reveal further after the voice clip is released.
Swapna said that she had moved the High Court for anticipatory bail because she feared persecution from the police. “I feared that the truth will not come out if I am arrested. I also feared police torture. That’s why I moved the court for anticipatory bail,” she said.
Earlier, Swapna had alleged threat to her life in the wake of the revelations she made against Mr. Vijayan, his wife Kamala, his daughter Veena, former minister and MLA K.T. Jaleel, former Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan, bureaucrats Nalini Netto and M. Sivasankar before the Ernakulam Magistrate Court under Section 164 of the CrPC.
However, she said that she never intended to scuttle the investigation into the gold smuggling case.
Shaj Kiran’s role
Swapna said that Mr. Shaj Kiran had warned her that Sarith would be arrested and it was Shaj who told her that a Vigilance team had taken Sarith into custody on Wednesday.
Describing Mr. Shaj Kiran as a good, trustworthy friend, Swapna said that she had sought his help but he allegedly came as an interlocutor for Mr. Vijayan. She said Mr. Shaj Kiran had mentally tortured her on Wednesday demanding that she withdraw her CrPC 164 statement before the Magistrate Court.
Mr. Shaj Kiran reportedly told her that a man named Nikesh Kumar would come and meet her, and that she should hand over her phone to him. “Nikesh is the voice of the Chief Minister. Shaj told me that if I am ready for a compromise, they would withdraw the case and lift the travel ban against me,” she said.
Swapna said that many things, including money, were promised to her. “But I did not yield to that pressure tactic,” she said, adding that she would reveal further details on Friday.
Published - June 09, 2022 08:02 pm IST
