The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residences of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Public Works Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Riyas, the Beypore MLA, is married to Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan. The probe is linked to allegations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL), a private company, made payments amounting to Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions, an IT firm owned by Veena, between 2018 and 2019 without receiving any services in return.
Investigators suspect that the funds were routed for illegal payments to politicians, political parties, media organisations, and public servants.
Although Vijayan, a CPI(M) politburo member, has not been questioned in the case so far, officials indicated that his statement could be recorded as the investigation progresses.
ED teams simultaneously carried out searches at 10 locations across Kerala, including Vijayan’s rented residence near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram, where Veena also resides, and his house in Kannur. Raids were also conducted at the offices of CMRL and at premises linked to senior company officials, including Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha.
The agency’s action came a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by CMRL seeking to quash the ED proceedings in the case.
In its order on Tuesday, the High Court clarified that the ED can initiate inquiries and issue summons even without a formal FIR for a scheduled offence. The court observed that the existence of an FIR is not a mandatory requirement for issuing summons under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The court also ruled that the immunity granted to CMRL by the Income Tax Settlement Commission does not extend to proceedings under the PMLA, as the two statutes operate independently.
The CPI(M) strongly condemned the ED raids at Vijayan’s residence, describing them as a “targeted attack” orchestrated by the BJP-led central government against a senior Opposition leader.
“This is a targeted attack on a top Opposition leader by the BJP government. Such actions will not intimidate Pinarayi Vijayan or the CPI(M),” the party said in a post on X.
The party also raised questions over the role of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, asking whether it was complicit in the ED action.
CPI(M) Kannur District Secretary K.K. Ragesh said the ED raids are part of a design by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to politically target Vijayan and the Left party. He said the action was similar to the way former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party were targeted using central investigative agencies.
Ragesh also alleged that the Congress and the BJP were colluding to destroy the CPI(M).
“The current Kerala CM aspirant V.D. Satheesan and V.D. Savarkar seem to share more than just similar initials. It is already evident that Satheesan is working hand in hand with the BJP,” he said.
(With inputs from Nirmal Jovial)