EXCLUSIVE: CBI files charge sheet against Life Mission, Swapna Suresh in Wadakkanchery flat scam
Thrissur (Kerala): The CBI has submitted its first charge sheet against six accused, including Life Mission and Swapna Suresh, in the Wadakkanchery Life Mission flat complex malpractice case. Irregularities in the Wadakkanchery Life Mission flat project came to light following the controversy surrounding the gold smuggling case, involving Swapna Suresh and M Sivasankar. The CBI registered the case based on a complaint filed by former Wadakkanchery MLA Anil Akkara.
UAE-based charity organisation Red Crescent provided ₹21 crore to construct flats and a hospital complex for flood victims in Kerala. This money was disbursed in accordance with an agreement signed between Life Mission and Red Crescent. The contract for constructing the flat complex was awarded to Kochi-based Unitac Builders, owned by Santhosh Eappen, and Sane Ventures.
The CBI uncovered major malpractices in this deal. Santhosh Eappen, owner of Unitac Builders, is named as the first accused in the case. The second accused is Sane Ventures, a company also owned by Santhosh Eappen. Life Mission has been listed as the third accused. Sandeep Nair, who was involved in the gold smuggling case, is the fourth accused. Sarith, a former PRO at the UAE Consulate, is the fifth accused, while Swapna Suresh is the sixth accused.
The charge sheet states that Life Mission awarded the hospital construction contract to Santhosh Eappen's firm without even inviting tenders. The contract was originally meant to be awarded to a company named Habitat, but the process was manipulated to give the contract to Santhosh Eappen.
Out of the ₹21 crore provided by Red Crescent for charitable work, the accused, including Sandeep, Sarith, Swapna and Santhosh Eappen, misappropriated ₹4.5 crore as commission. The CBI charge sheet further states that Santhosh Eappen diverted an additional ₹5 crore under the guise of profits. The CBI's findings indicate that work worth only ₹10 crore was actually carried out.
According to the charge sheet, financial irregularities of around ₹11 crore took place. CBI investigations are also ongoing against M Sivasankar, then Principal Secretary to former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and U V Jose, the then CEO of Life Mission. The primary challenge facing the CBI is the non-receipt of files relating to the Life Mission flat deal.
The Vigilance inquiry against Sivasankar in the Life Mission case is also hindering the CBI's evidence collection. Files handled by Sivasankar concerning the case were seized as part of the Vigilance probe. Despite repeated requests from the CBI, Vigilance has not handed over these files. With the UDF government coming to power, the CBI hopes to retrieve the files from Vigilance.