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The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and some others as part of its investigation against his daughter in the CMRL money laundering case, officials said. They said a total of 10 premises in the state, including the rental house of the 81-year-old former chief minister in the state capital here, a location in Kannur and houses of “key persons” of Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd (CMRL), a private entity, are being raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

 

Vijayan's house has been searched as the probe involves his daughter T Veena, they said. It is alleged that CMRL made an illegal payment of ₹1.72 crore to Veena's company — Exalogic Solutions — during 2017 to 2020, even though the IT firm had not provided any service to the company.

 

On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by the CMRL seeking to quash the ED proceedings in the case, thereby allowing the central agency to continue its probe. The ED filed the PMLA case in 2024.

 

Vijayan has rubbished the charges levelled against his daughter in the past, saying they were made to tarnish his image and defame him. The CPI(M) veteran was recently unseated from power after the Congress-led UDF won the Assembly elections in Kerala last month. The two-term former chief minister (2016-2026) has now been nominated for the position of leader of opposition in the Kerala Assembly by his party. The ED probe stems from a complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), an investigative arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

 

The SFIO probe followed after the interim board for settlement of the Income Tax Department questioned the legitimacy of certain transactions undertaken by the CMRL, which had an agreement with Veena's IT firm for consultancy and software support services but it was alleged that despite the fact that no service was rendered by her firm, the amount was paid on a monthly basis “due to her relationship with a prominent person”. 

 

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