The Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated T. Veena (Veena Vijayan, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister) for a second time on Thursday at its Kochi zonal office. The questioning intensified immediately after the agency obtained 134 files compiled by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) pay‑off case.
This is the second time the agency has questioned Veena in connection with the CMRL case. Earlier, she was interrogated for nearly eight hours on June 17. A day before that, the ED had questioned Shiby S. Kartha, daughter of Sasidharan Kartha and director of an associated CMRL firm; Saran S. Kartha, joint managing director of CMRL; and Jaya S. Kartha, wife of Sasidharan Kartha, in her capacity as director of Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited (EICIPL).
While the ED had initially issued a fresh notice for her to appear on June 29, the date was subsequently advanced, prompting her second appearance on Thursday.
The ED on Wednesday obtained copies of 134 documents collected by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in connection with the probe in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) pay-off case.
A special court in Ernakulam had earlier allowed the ED to access the copies of documents collected by the SFIO, which had investigated the alleged fictitious expenses submitted by the CMRL before the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board.
The ED 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 agency is also probing loans worth Rs 50 lakh extended by Empower India Capital Investments Pvt Ltd to Exalogic in two instalments, including why a second loan was sanctioned despite an alleged default in repayment of the first.
The involvement of CMRL-linked Nipuna International Pvt Ltd, which is named in the case records, is also being probed by the ED
Earlier, the Kerala High Court rejected CMRL’s plea to halt the probe, with the court ruling that no legal barrier prevents the agency from proceeding.
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.
On May 27, 2026, the ED carried out extensive searches across multiple locations in Kerala, including the residences of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his son-in-law, P.A. Mohamed Riyas, in connection with the case.
Following the recent raids, the agency has frozen 242 bank accounts containing a combined balance of Rs 18.36 crore, including accounts linked to Veena and her now-defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions. The ED has also taken steps to seize Rs 18.36 crore in 242 frozen accounts.