LIFE Mission case: ED arrests M. Sivasankar, to produce him before PMLA court today

Former principal secretary to the Kerala CM, M. Sivasankar was arrested by the ED on February 14, 2023.

M. Sivasankar, former principal secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Life Mission bribe case late on Tuesday night, will be produced before the Ernakulam District and Sessions Court in a short while.

The arrest of Sivasankar, who was interrogated for over 10 hours on Tuesday, was formally recorded close to midnight.

It was after interrogating him for three consecutive days that the agency recorded his arrest. This is the second case in which the former bureaucrat is arrested by ED.

Santhosh Eapen, the managing director of the construction company which was selected for constructing the houses under the LIFE Mission project and other accused in the gold smuggling case including Swapna Suresh were grilled by the agency in the corruption case.

According to the ED case, Mr. Sivasankar and others made undue monetary gains in the form of kickbacks in awarding the contract for the construction of multi-dwelling units under the LIFE Mission housing scheme of the State government. The housing project was proposed at Vadakkanchery in Thrissur district.

Mr. Sivasankar had retired from government service on January 31.

The top bureaucrat, who was suspended from the service following his arrest in the cases, was later reinstated.