The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought an FIR against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the CMRL case, according to agency sources. The central agency has implicated him for allegedly receiving Rs 3.28 crore as a bribe from CMRL through his daughter Veena T, who is also an accused in the case.
The ED has sent a detailed report to the DGP on evidence recovered in the CMRL case under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) act. This section under the anti-money laundering law empowers the ED to share findings of its criminal investigation with a law enforcement agency for registration of a fresh FIR or complaint.
Besides Vijayan, the agency also sought to file a separate FIR against Mohamed Riyas, Veena’s husband and former Cabinet Minister.
According to the ED, Riyas received bribes and aided in the transfer of the funds to Dubai through Veena and known associates. However, the bribes received by Riyas is not connected to the CMRL receipts and their sources are still under investigation.
The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent payments made by Kerala mining firm Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) worth Rs 2.78 crore to Veena's now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions under the guise of 'IT consultancy services'.
The agency has also claimed that another company, Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited, extended loans worth ₹50 lakh to Exalogic, despite the firm allegedly failing to repay them on time. The company is operated by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, the main accused in the CMRL case.
The agency had raided premises linked to Veena, who was living with Vijayan at a rented accommodation in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, in June and subsequently questioned her. They also inspected Veena’s bank locker in Thiruvananthapuram on June 19 and again on June 22, seeking evidence linked to the money‑laundering probe.
Following this, the ED claimed it recovered "handwritten" notes that contained details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.
Vijayan dismissed the inquiries, suggesting no wrongdoing by his daughter. The CPI(M) has also called it a politically motivated case. Veena's husband and CPI(M) leader Riyas had said that he and the party will politically and legally deal with the ED case.
