The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a fresh notice to Veena T, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Sunday, directing her to appear for questioning on June 29. This is in connection with a money laundering case linked to mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and her now-defunct IT firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd.
Second Round of Questioning Scheduled
This will be the second round of questioning of Veena by the central agency in the case. She was previously questioned for more than nine hours at the ED’s Kochi office on June 17 in connection with the case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). As part of the ongoing probe, ED officials also inspected Veena’s bank lockers in Thiruvananthapuram on June 19.
According to ED sources, further questioning was considered necessary after examining Veena’s statement and evidence gathered during the investigation. Sources said statements of four other accused persons have also been recorded so far.
Allegations of Fictitious Payments
The ED investigation relates to allegations that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd, owned by Veena, without receiving any services in return. According to the agency, another company, Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited, run by CMRL managing director Sasidharan Kartha, had extended loans worth Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic despite the firm allegedly failing to repay them on time.
The ED has alleged that Veena and the management of CMRL generated “proceeds of crime” through these transactions. The agency registered the case under the PMLA based on a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025.
Background of the Case
The SFIO, the investigation arm of the ministry of corporate affairs, had alleged that Exalogic and CMRL entered into an arrangement under which payments were made without any corresponding services being rendered. CMRL came under the scanner of central agencies after an Income Tax Department search in January 2019 allegedly uncovered financial irregularities, including suspected fictitious expenditure of around Rs 130 crore.
