ED searches ex-Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence, others

Official said a total of 10 premsies in the state are being raided under the provisions of the PMLA.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, May 27, conducted searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others as part of its investigation into the CMRL money laundering case, officials said.

They said a total of 10 premsies in the state, including Vijayan’s rental house in the state capital here, are being raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It is alleged that a private company named Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd (CMRL), made an illegal payment of Rs 1.72 crore to Vijayan’s daughter T Veena’s company — Exalogic Solutions — during 2018 to 2019, even though the IT firm had not provided any service to the company.

On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by the CMRL seeking to quash the ED proceedings in the case.

The ED had filed a PMLA case to probe the allegations in 2024.

ED raids politically motivated: CPI(M)

 CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby on Wednesday alleged that the ED raids at the residences of former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and others were “politically motivated” and termed them as a “heinous attack”.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Baby said the CPI(M) will prove before the people that the raids were “politically motivated”.

Citing reports, he claimed that two ministers in the cabinet of current Chief Minister V D Satheesan also allegedly received money from the Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and the same should have been investigated.

He said such moves will not intimidate the CPI(M) or Vijayan and “anyone who thought it would, did not know the party or its leader very well”.

Recalling Vijayan’s past experience as a Communist leader, CPI(M) leader Baby said that the former Kerala CM was arrested and faced brutal police assault when he was an MLA during the emergency declared by Indira Gandhi.

In a post on X, Baby raised questions over the political context of the raid.

“Is the Congress-led UDF in Kerala complicit in this raid?” he asked, suggesting that the episode warranted scrutiny over possible political coordination.

A total of 10 premises in the state, including the rental house of the 81-year-old former CM in the state capital here, a location in Kannur and houses of key persons of CMRL, a private entity, are being raided by ED as part of its investigation against his daughter, Veena T, in the CMRL money laundering case.

The action was taken a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by CMRL seeking to quash the ED proceedings in the case, thereby allowing the central agency to continue its probe.

As per the ED’s case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2024, CMRL made an illegal payment of Rs 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.