NIA court pardons five, makes them approvers

‘Evidence rendered by them essential to establish offence of key accused’

Five accused in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, Sandeep Nair, Musthafa, Abdul Azeez, Nandagopal and Mohammed Anwar, were tendered pardon by the Special Court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday and made approvers in the case. With the court providing them pardon, these accused would become the witnesses of the NIA in the case. NIA special judge K. Kamanees tendered the accused pardon, on an application from the NIA, on the condition that they would make “full and true disclosure of the whole of the circumstances and facts within their knowledge relating to the offence and to every other person concerned” in the case.