KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday summoned T Veena, daughter of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and her now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions Private Limited.Officials said Veena has been asked to appear before the agency’s zonal office in Kochi on June 12, where her statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Some other persons have been summoned in connection with the probe, too.The investigation pertains to allegations that Kerala-based sand mining company CMRL made payments worth Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions under the guise of IT consultancy services. Another company linked to CMRL management allegedly extended loans worth Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic despite delayed repayments, according to the ED.The agency has alleged that the management of CMRL and Veena generated “proceeds of crime” through these transactions.The summons comes weeks after the ED carried out searches at multiple locations linked to Vijayan’s family and CMRL as part of the probe. Searches were conducted at the rented residence of Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram’s Bakery Junction, the Kozhikode residence of former minister P A Mohammed Riyas, and premises linked to CMRL managing director S N Sasidharan Kartha and joint managing director Saran S Kartha.Violence had erupted outside Vijayan’s residence after ED officials completed the searches, with CPM workers allegedly attacking vehicles carrying agency officials. Police said several persons were arrested in connection with the clashes.The ED launched the action after Kerala high court dismissed petitions seeking to halt the ED investigation in the case. The court held that the initiation of proceedings under the PMLA was valid and noted that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) prosecution complaint constituted the predicate offence for the ED probe.CMRL has been under scrutiny since an income tax department search in 2019 allegedly uncovered fake expenses amounting to around Rs 130 crore. Following the findings, the ministry of corporate affairs ordered an SFIO probe in January 2024, after which the ED initiated its money laundering investigation.(With agency inputs)
