M Sivasankar, Ex-Principal Secretary of CM Pinarayi Vijayan Remanded For 5 Days To The ED Custody In LIFE Mission Case

On Wednesday, a court in Kerala, India ordered the former Principal Secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, M Sivasankar, to be remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for 5 days in relation to the LIFE Mission case till  February 20. The LIFE Mission is a scheme by the Kerala government which seeks to provide housing security to all the landless and homeless residents of the state, with a focus on livelihood, inclusion, and financial empowerment.

One of the projects under the LIFE Mission scheme is under scrutiny due to allegations of foreign funding that are said to have violated the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The CBI is currently investigating the matter. M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was questioned by the ED for three days before being arrested on Tuesday evening. He appeared before the Ernakulam District and Sessions Court earlier today.

BACKGROUND

In 2020, Anil Akkara, a former MLA for Wadakkanchery in Thrissur district, filed a complaint against the LIFE Mission project, alleging that it violated Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) norms. Specifically, the complaint was related to the project in Akkara's constituency of Wadakkanchery, which was funded by the UAE consulate's Red Crescent. The state government had agreed to provide land to building contractors selected by the donors.

Akkara claimed that the Kerala government obtained funds for Unitac builders, the selected contractor, from Red Crescent, thus violating FCRA. The CBI subsequently filed an FIR in response to the complaint, naming Unitac's Santhosh Eappen, Sane Ventures (another contractor), and "unnamed officials of the LIFE Mission project."

There were allegations that the LIFE Mission project was awarded to Eappen and Sane Ventures under the influence of Swapna Suresh, a former UAE Consulate employee and accused gold smuggler, who was working with Sivasankar, the then-Principal Secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister's Office.

After the CBI's FIR, the CEO of the LIFE Mission project approached the Kerala High Court seeking to have the investigation quashed. Shortly thereafter, Eappen also filed a writ petition requesting the same. However, the High Court dismissed both pleas in January 2021, effectively allowing the CBI probe to continue.