ED books Kerala CM’s daughter in PMLA case
The Enforcement Directorate has booked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan in a money laundering case on charges that her IT firm, Exalogic Solutions, allegedly received payment of ₹1.72 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) without offering any services to the later company.
ED sources said that soon summons would be issued to beneficiaries of the illegal gratification from Cochinbased private firm. The agency wants to ascertain, said sources, names of “influential and politicallylinked persons” who got illegal money from the Kochibased company. Veena’s company has also been made a party in the PMLA case.
The agency’s move comes after the Karnataka High Court, last month, dismissed a petition trying to stall the investigation initiated by the Serious Fraud Investigation Organisation (SFIO) after the Income Tax department found that CMRL allegedly made an illegal payment of ₹1.72 crore to Veena Vijayan’s Exalogic Solutions from 2018 and 2019, without the IT company offering any work for it.
The Kochibased company reportedly previously had entered into an agreement with Veena Vijayan’s firm for consultancy and software support services. However, it is alleged that in the period from 201819 no service was rendered by Veena Vijayan’s firm. According to reports that cited deposition of the CMRL authorities before IT department, the money was allegedly paid on a monthly basis by company to the IT firm “due to her relationship with a prominent person”. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, has denied allegations which he said was made to tarnish his image.
The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, however, slammed the ED’s case against the CM’s daughter and her IT firm, alleging the Central agency was acting like a “daily labourer” for the BJP.