ED Summons Pinarayi Vijayan’s Daughter Veena Again In CMRL Money Laundering Probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summons to Veena T, daughter of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, directing her to appear for questioning on June 17 in a money laundering probe linked to alleged payments of Rs 2.78 crore made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to her now-defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd.

The questioning is part of the ED's investigation into allegations that CMRL routed funds to Exalogic in the name of IT consultancy services without receiving any services in return. The agency is also examining a Rs 50 lakh loan extended to Exalogic by Empower India Capital Investments Private Ltd (EICPL), a company operated by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, despite the firm's alleged failure to make timely repayments. According to PTI, investigators are seeking to determine the rationale behind these transactions and whether they generated proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The fresh notice was issued after Veena sought deferment of an earlier summons for June 12, citing health issues. According to PTI, she has now been asked to appear before the ED's Kochi office at 10 am on June 17 and produce documents related to the transactions under scrutiny.

ED officials have alleged that Veena and the CMRL management generated proceeds of crime through the financial arrangements being investigated. Kartha, other CMRL officials and nine additional individuals have also been summoned for questioning on different dates as part of the probe.

The agency recently carried out searches at premises linked to Veena, who lives with her father in a rented house in Thiruvananthapuram.

According to PTI, the ED registered the money laundering case in March 2024 after taking cognisance of a complaint by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), the investigation arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The SFIO subsequently filed a prosecution complaint before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025.

CMRL came under the scanner of central agencies following an Income Tax Department raid in January 2019 that allegedly uncovered financial irregularities, including suspected fictitious expenses amounting to around Rs 130 crore.

Court documents cited in the investigation state that CMRL inflated expenditure by Rs 133.82 crore between the 2012-13 and 2018-19 financial years by booking bogus cash expenses under the heads of transportation and sludge handling. Investigators allege the cash generated through these entries was used to make illegal payments to politicians, political parties, media organisations and public servants.

PTI reported that court records state CMRL's chief financial officer and managing director admitted before tax authorities that such cash payments were made to ensure smooth business operations amid threats of closure and environmental challenges. Officials have also said the company acknowledged these fake expenses before the Income Tax Settlement Commission.

In its prosecution complaint, the SFIO alleged that CMRL created fictitious cash expenses worth Rs 182 crore over a 15-year period to pay bribes to various individuals and entities. The complaint further alleged that the company paid Rs 91 crore towards transport services to companies owned by members of the Kartha family.

(With inputs from PTI)