Swapna Suresh and his accomplices were fined by Customs in the case of smuggling gold through diplomatic baggage. The main accused in the case, Swapna, P.S. Sarith, Sandeep Nair, K.T. Ramees, former UAE Consul General of the Consulate Jamal Hussain Alzabi and former Attache Rashid Khamis Al Ashmei were fined 6 crore by Kochi Customs Preventive Commissioner Rajendra Kumar. Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary M. Sivasankar fined Rs 50 lakh.
Seven people are yet to be arrested in the case with a total of 44 accused. Apart from these, the order is to collect a fine of Rs 66.60 crore from the accused. The order says that if other accused are caught, they should be fined. It is reported that this is the first time in the country that such a large amount of fine has been levied in a gold smuggling case. Customs has also seized the luxury vehicles of many of the accused.
Meanwhile, the accused can approach the Appellate Tribunal against the order. The Tribunal may uphold the award or require corrections. But usually, in such cases, the possibility of relaxation of a fine amount is very low.
Customs seized the gold from Thiruvananthapuram cargo complex on July 5, 2020. 30 kg of gold estimated to be worth around Rs 14.65 crore was seized. From 2019 to the first quarter of 2020, it was found that the accused smuggled gold through Nayananthra Baggage.