Veena Vijayan appears before ED in CMRL laundering probe

Veena Vijayan, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Kochi on Wednesday for questioning in a money laundering investigation. The probe centers on alleged irregular payments made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited to her now-defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions Private Ltd.

She arrived at the agency's office around 10:30 a.m. amid tight security and a significant media presence. Her husband, legislator P.A. Mohammed Riyas, accompanied her but did not enter. The ED had initially summoned her for June 12, but she cited health reasons and requested to submit documents through her lawyers. The agency rejected that request and issued a fresh summons for June 17, insisting on her personal appearance.

The case involves allegations that CMRL paid approximately Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions between 2018 and 2019 for IT and marketing consultancy services that were never actually rendered. Investigators have alleged the payments were structured partly to the company and partly to Veena Vijayan in her personal capacity. The ED also claims another firm linked to CMRL's founder, Empower India Capital Investments...