CMRL case: Ex-CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter requests ED to delay interrogation, cites health reasons

T. Veena (Veena Vijayan), daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister and current Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, has sought a postponement of the ED questioning scheduled for Friday in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) monthly pay-off case.

Veena has sent an email to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking a postponement of her questioning scheduled for Friday. She informed the agency that she is unable to attend the scheduled session at the ED’s Kochi zonal office on health grounds but expressed her absolute willingness to cooperate with the probe at a later date.

Advertisement

She has informed the central agency that all the financial documents and responses requested by investigators will be submitted shortly through her counsel.

The ED has issued a summons to T. Veena (Veena Vijayan) in connection with the case, directing her to appear for questioning at the agency’s Kochi zonal office on Friday. Alongside Veena, the ED has issued notices to nine other individuals, including CMRL Managing Director SN Sasidharan Kartha and senior company executives, to verify transaction trails.

Agency sources indicate that the ED is considering her email request and is highly likely to issue a fresh summons with a rescheduled appearance date.

The investigation, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), centres on allegations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) made illegal, fraudulent payments worth Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy services that were never actually rendered.

The ED further alleges that another CMRL-linked company, Empower India Capital Investments Pvt Ltd, extended an un-repaid loan of Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic, altogether generating “proceeds of crime”.

The summons followed a major legal victory for the ED, where the Kerala High Court rejected the CMRL’s plea to halt the probe, with the court ruling that no legal barrier prevents the agency from proceeding. Additionally, a special economic offences court permitted the ED to obtain 134 crucial transaction documents originally seized by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).

The Special Court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) judge, Suresh Babu VPM, on Monday allowed a petition filed by the ED seeking copies of documents gathered by the SFIO, which had investigated alleged fictitious expenses admitted by CMRL before the Income Tax Settlement Board.