Daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, T Veena has been summoned by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) at its Kochi office on June 12, in connection with its probe in the Cochin minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case.
Veena has been summoned after the agency had conducted multiple searches on May 27 at around 10 premises, including residences of Vijayan and Veena.
The case pertains to alleged diversion of funds from CMRL to various individuals under the guise of expenses which are reportedly fake.
Vijayan’s daughter is alleged to be one of the beneficiaries, ED sources said.
According to the anti-money laundering agency, CMRL, which is a private entity, reportedly made an illegal payment of Rs 1.72 crore to Vijayan’s daughter T Veena’s company Exalogic Solutions between 2018 and 2019, even though the firm had not provided any service to the company.
The transactions came under the radar after findings by the Interim Board for Settlement of the Income Tax Department questioned their legitimacy as business expenditure.
Following those findings, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had ordered a Serious Fraud Investigation Office probe in January 2024.
In 2024 itself, the ED had registered a case and issued summons to CMRL officials in April of that year, prompting the company to move court against the agency’s action.
The ED action comes a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed petitions filed by CMRL and its officials seeking to quash the agency’s proceedings in the case.
The court declined to stay the investigation, allowing the ED to continue its probe into the alleged financial transactions.
According to reports, the ED is examining whether the transactions constituted illegal gratification and whether the funds were routed in violation of anti-money laundering laws.
Investigators are also probing the nature of agreements between the private mining firm and Exalogic Solutions.
