Swapna Suresh, the chief accused in Rs. 30-crore gold smuggling by misusing UAE diplomatic channels, has alleged in an affidavit before the Kerala high court that a former minister KT Jaleel and former UAE consul general in Kerala conspired together to “ban” overseas editions of Malayalam language daily, Madhyamam.
Syed Khalique Ahmed
NEW DELHI—What began as a big controversy about gold smuggling by misusing diplomatic channel, has revealed that a minister in the Kerala state government and former Consul General of the United Arab Emirates entered into a conspiracy to “ban” the overseas publications of the multi-edition Malayali language daily Madhyamam during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
A delegation of senior representatives from Madhyamam on Monday called on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and sought appropriate action against the former minister. The former minister, a sitting MLA now, belongs to the CPI(M), the party in power in Kerala.
Madhyamam, which is published from several places in Kerala and neighbouring states, is one of the most popular Malayali language newspaper.
In a memorandum to the CM, the Madhyamam said that it was a very serious issue for a minister to write a letter to a foreign government without permission from the Ministry of External Affairs. (The former minister has accepted before media that he wrote the letter but said that he did not seek “ban” on the publication).
The memorandum said that the minister had taken oath to work under the Constitution of India but he blatantly violated the Constitutional provisions and the Ministry of External Affairs protocol to cause huge damage to a media house belonging to India.
The memorandum said that the Left party government might not endorse such an act of the former minister which is in direct violation of the Constitutional provisions.
A senior executive of Madhyamam, when approached, told this scribe that CM had assured to look into the matter and take appropriate legal action against the minister.
The former minister in question is K T Jaleel, a former Indian Union Muslim League leader who switched over to the CPI(M) due to some differences with the League leadership.
When Jaleel was education minister in the Pinarayi government in 2020, he wrote a letter, allegedly in conspiracy with the then UAE Consul General, to the then UAE head of the state to “ban” Madhyamam in the Emirates. However, it is a different matter that the the then ruler of the UAE – His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al-Nahyan – ignored Jaleel’s missive.
Jaleel wrote the letter for action against Madhyamam allegedly to strengthen his position in CPI(M) and earn the favour of the CM and the UAE ruler to promote his business interests in collaboration with the then UAE Consul General.
For this, he used the issue of hundreds of photographs of dead bodies of expatriates from Kerala in Gulf countries, and particularly the UAE, during Covid-19 pandemic.
After publication of photos by Madhyamam, it had become a big issue in Kerala. People came out in streets in Kerala and demanded that state government arrange return of the expatriates from the Gulf countries where the medical facilities were not said to be adequate to treat the Covid-19 patients.
But little did they know that arranging return of the expatriates was not in the jurisdiction of the state government. The central government under the Vande Bharat Mission was bringing back Indians from different countries who wanted to return during the Covid-19 pandemic. But the central government’s arrangement was not enough to meet the demand of expatriates in different countries.
So, many people could not return to Kerala in time and caught infection in the Gulf countries where they were working. Many of them succumbed to the pandemic and their bodies were flown to their native villages in Kerala that resulted in lot of uproar against the state government.
However, medical facilities provided by the Kerala state government during the pandemic was excellent and the best in the country. The state government and its health minister were appreciated all over the country for the medical services during the Covid-19.
Madhyamam’s publication of photographs, though, was neither against the Kerala state government nor against the government of the UAE or any of the Gulf countries, it led to strong anti-government reaction from the people in the state. As a reaction to it, the CPI(M) government vehemently criticized the Madhyamam for publishing the photographs of the dead bodies.
Jaleel did all these things before his name cropped up in Rs. 30 crore gold smuggling by misusing UAE’s diplomatic channel. Former UAE Consul General and his personal assistant Swapna Suresh allegedly helped Jaleel in the plot against Madhyamam newspaper in the Gulf.
But the relations between Jaleel and Swapna Suresh took 180-degree turn after the latter was arrested in the gold smuggling case using UAE’s diplomatic channel. Swapna, booked as chief accused, told central investigative agencies about the involvement of CM Vijayan, his wife Kamala, his daughter Veena, his secretary CM Raveendran, former principal secretary in CMO M Sivasankar, former chief secretary Nalini Netto and KT Jaleel in the gold smuggling.
It was on July 5, 2020, Customs department seized 30 kilograms of 24 carat gold worth Rs. 30 crores that was smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage that was meant to be delivered to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
However, KT Jaleel has denied his involvement in the gold smuggling and alleged that his name had been dragged by Swapna Suresh at the behest of former MLA PC George, BJP and UDF, with an intention to tarnish the image of the Pinarayi government.
Swapna Suresh was working as personal assistant of the UAE Consulate General in Kerala when the smuggling incident took place and it was because of this reason, she was booked as chief accused. The case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigative Agency (NIA), and the Customs department. Swapna was arrested by NIA on July 11, 2020 and released on November 6, 2021 after 16 months.
KT Jaleel involved in anti-national activities: Swapna Suresh
Swapna stirred up a storm in political and diplomatic circles when she accused K T Jaleel of having “committed anti-national activities” in an affidavit submitted before the Kerala High Court on Thursday (July 21, 2022).
She alleged that “KT Jaleel held several closed-door meetings with UAE Consul General in the consulate premises without knowledge of the Ministry of External Affairs in total violation of the MEA protocol.”. This is currently under investigation by Enforcement Directorate.
Swapna, however, said that she had no knowledge of what transpired between Jaleel and the UAE consul general. But she said in the affidavit that she had a Whatsapp chat she had with Jaleel with regard to “delay in bringing back a lot of expatriates working in the UAE where several deaths have taken place due to Covid.”
She alleged that Jaleel approached her showing deaths of expatriates in the UAE due to Covid-19 published by Madhyamam and told her this could be utilized “for banning the publication” of the Madhyamam in the Gulf countries.
Jaleel told Swapna that “this, in turn, will give him a political leverage in his political party.” At the same time, Jaleel allegedly requested Swapna to take steps that brought him in good books of the UAE rulers.
According to the affidavit, Jaleel told Swapna that he was working to seek action against the Madhyamam as suggested by the UAE consul general himself.
Swapna then allegedly talked to Consul General about what Jaleel disclosed to her. Swapna says in the affidavit that the Consul General allegedly supported the move of Jaleel. Consul General also allegedly told Swapna that “KT Jaleel had promised him all the support of the State government, including the ruling party, as well as the chief minister in furthering the unauthorised business activities of the Consul General misusing the diplomatic channel.” As the allegation is very serious, this could also lead to investigation of the Consul General for unauthorised business in a foreign country by misusing diplomatic channels. The former UAE Consul General left India after the smuggling racket was unearthed.
“The Consul General has also informed the petitioner (Swapna) that he and KT Jaleel have planned several businesses inside and outside Kerala, and placing KT Jaleel in the good books of the rulers of the UAE is a must and that the present move in informing the rulers of the UAE picturing the activities of a daily operating from Kerala publishing in the Gulf countries as anti-UAE will help in achieving the above goal,” Swapna alleges in the affidavit.
Consul General allegedly told Swapna that “banning the daily (Madhyamam) will give political mileage to KT Jaleel in the political party so that he can influence the party and the government to support more in the business activities of the Consul General misusing the Consulate,” Swapna further alleges, adding that after this she agreed to help Jaleel in sending his letter against Madhyamam daily to the UAE ruler.
In response to a question by Swapna, Jaleel said that the contents of his letter were not against the UAE. Jaleel told Swapna that he was not sending the English translation of the news report but only the original copy in Malayalam language, along with photographs. “So, in effect, his attempt was “to hoodwink and fool the ruler of UAE and its administration for his political gains.”
Swapna levels serious allegations against former UAE consul general
In a scathing criticism of her boss, Swapna revealed in the affidavit that she was forced by the UAE consul general “to stand with the illegality of KT Jaleel former consul general” and “forwarded the letter of KT Jaleel with its attachment to the ruler of UAE through the email of Consul General.”
Jaleel protected UAE interest more than that of India
In a very explosive statement, Swapna said in the affidavit that KT Jaleel wrote a letter “directly to the head of a State without any legal authority or power against the citizens on the pretext of protecting the interest of UAE, a foreign nation, its rulers and its citizens.”
She said that the action of KT Jaleel “is in total violation of the oath of office as his action is in effect against the interest of our nation and its citizens, including a news daily of this nation which is considered as the fourth pillar” of democracy.
The action of KT Jaleel “in conspiring against the citizens and organizations of this nation while holding the Constitutional post of a minister of India”, she said, is also against “the MEA protocol”, “unconstitutional”, “anti-national” and “betrayal of peoples confidence in him as an elected representative.”
“From the contents of the letter of KT Jaleel, it is clear and evident that his allegiance is more towards UAE which is a foreign country than with India,” she says in her affidavit.
