Thiruvanamthapuram, 21 June (H.S.):

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summons to Veena Vijayan,daughter of opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan, in connection with its ingoing investigation into the alleged financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Exalogic solutions

According to sources, Veena has been directed to appear before the central agency on June 29 as part of the money laundering investigation linked to the case. The latest summons comes even as the ED is still awaiting key documents from the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), which has been conducting a parallel probe into the matter.

The agency had earlier secured a 10-day extension from the court to obtain the documents, but the deadline expired last week without the records being transferred. The ED is expected to hold discussions with the SFIO investigation team to expedite the process. A total of 134 documents are reportedly required for the next stage of the inquiry.

Earlier reports had suggested that the ED would decide on any further questioning of Veena only after receiving and examining the SFIO records. However, the agency has now proceeded with a fresh summons while continuing its efforts to gather evidence.

At present, the ED’s focus is on collecting material to support provisional attachment proceedings. The agency had earlier frozen assets worth around ₹18 crore spread across 242 bank accounts. Among the accounts frozen were two belonging to Veena Vijayan and one linked to Exalogic Solutions.

Meanwhile, the ED recently inspected a bank locker operated by Veena at an HDFC Bank branch in Thiruvananthapuram. Sources indicated that investigators did not recover any documents related to transactions between CMRL and Exalogic during the search.

The locker inspection was reportedly undertaken to determine whether any significant records connected to the case had been withheld from investigators. However, no material evidence relating to the alleged CMRL–Exalogic dealings was said to have been found during the exercise.

The investigation into the financial relationship between CMRL and Exalogic continues, with both the ED and SFIO pursuing separate lines of inquiry.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman