The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked the Kerala Police to register a separate FIR against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, son-in-law Mohammed Riyas and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with its probe into alleged financial irregularities involving Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), as reported in Indian Express.
Sources in the central agency said the ED had sent a detailed report to Kerala Director General of Police seeking registration of the FIR in the CMRL case.
Vijayan is currently the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, while Riyas, a CPI(M) legislator, previously served as a minister in the Vijayan government. The decision on registering the FIR now rests with the Kerala Police, which comes under the state Home Department headed by Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The Congress-led government came to power in April 2026 after defeating Vijayan’s CPI(M)-led government.
Alleged Payments to Veena’s Firm
The ED’s case centres on alleged payments made by CMRL to Veena’s IT company, Exalogic Solutions, despite the firm allegedly not providing corresponding services.
The alleged transactions took place during Vijayan’s first term as Kerala Chief Minister and were initially flagged during an Income Tax Department investigation.
The ED had earlier alleged that Exalogic Solutions received around ₹2.78 crore from CMRL in the guise of IT consultancy payments.
The agency subsequently expanded its investigation and conducted searches at premises linked to Vijayan and others.
In May, the ED searched premises associated with Vijayan. It also carried out searches at eight locations linked to local CPI(M) leaders in Kozhikode district, from where Riyas hails.
Following the searches, the agency claimed to have recovered material indicating the movement of funds through alleged hawala channels.
ED Alleges ₹3.28 Crore Bribe Through Veena
According to the report submitted to the Kerala Police, the ED has alleged that Vijayan received ₹3.28 crore from CMRL as a bribe through Veena.
The agency has reportedly relied on a statement attributed to CMRL’s former Chief Financial Officer to substantiate the allegation.
The ED has further alleged that Riyas assisted in transferring the alleged bribe money to Dubai through Veena and other persons.
The agency has also sought an FIR against senior employees of Exalogic Solutions as part of the case.
The ED has claimed that statements and digital evidence seized during its searches point to the alleged transfer of money through hawala routes.
According to the agency, documents recovered during the investigation allegedly showed financial transactions beyond Veena’s known sources of income. It has also claimed that handwritten accounts maintained by her contained amounts over and above the payments received from CMRL.
The ED has reportedly identified notings referring to the transfer of 3.49 lakh UAE dirhams, equivalent to around ₹85 lakh, to Dubai. It has also alleged that the records contained references to approximately ₹20.05 crore maintained in Indian currency.
Vijayan Denies Hawala Allegations
Vijayan has rejected the allegations against himself and his family.
He has maintained that he has no involvement in any wrongdoing and expressed confidence that neither Veena nor other members of his family were involved in hawala transactions.
He has also questioned the ED’s allegations concerning Veena’s financial dealings, arguing that she had been subjected to scrutiny primarily because she was his daughter.
Vijayan has maintained that Veena does not possess substantial wealth and has cooperated with the investigation and would continue to do so.
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