Thiruvananthapuram, 09 June (H.S.):
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to T. Veena, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister and current Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, in connection with its ongoing investigation into the alleged financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) and IT firm Exalogic Solutions.
Veena, along with eight others, has been directed to appear before the central agency for questioning on Friday. Among those summoned are CMRL Managing Director S.N. Sasidharan Kartha, Joint Managing Director Sharan S. Kartha, Chief General Manager K.S. Suresh Kumar, and several other company officials.
The latest development comes shortly after a court ordered the transfer of key documents related to the CMRL–Exalogic transactions to the ED. The agency is examining the financial dealings between the two entities as part of its money laundering probe arising from findings made by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
Earlier, the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court directed that 134 documents seized and held by the SFIO be handed over to the ED within ten days. The court rejected objections raised by CMRL against the transfer of the records, paving the way for the ED to access documents considered crucial to the investigation.
The ED is expected to scrutinise the financial agreements, payment records and related correspondence between CMRL and Exalogic as part of its effort to determine whether any violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were involved.
The case has attracted significant political attention due to Veena Vijayan’s association with Exalogic and her relationship to the former Chief Minister. However, investigators have maintained that the probe is focused on examining the financial transactions and documentary evidence linked to the companies involved.
The questioning scheduled for Friday is expected to be a key step in the ED’s ongoing investigation into the alleged irregularities surrounding the CMRL–Exalogic dealings.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
