Daijiworld Media Network – Kochi
Kochi, Jun 25: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday questioned Veena T, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, for the second time in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to her now-defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL).
According to sources, Veena arrived at the ED office in Kochi at around 9.20 am. She had earlier appeared before the agency on June 17, when she was questioned for more than nine hours under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Although she was initially asked to appear again on June 29, the agency advanced the date and summoned her for questioning on Thursday as part of its ongoing investigation.
As part of the probe, ED officials had inspected Veena's bank lockers in Thiruvananthapuram on June 19. Sources said investigators sought further clarification after examining her earlier statement and documents collected during the investigation.
The agency has also questioned several directors and senior officials of CMRL in recent weeks.
The case relates to allegations that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions without receiving any corresponding services. Investigators are examining whether the transactions were genuine or constituted financial irregularities.
According to the ED, another firm, Empower India Capital Investments Pvt Ltd, operated by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, allegedly extended loans amounting to Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic, which were reportedly not repaid within the stipulated period.
The agency has alleged that the transactions resulted in the generation of "proceeds of crime" and is investigating the financial dealings between the companies.
The money laundering case was registered on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025.
The SFIO, which functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, had alleged that Exalogic and CMRL entered into an arrangement under which payments were made despite no services being rendered in return.
The ED recently obtained documents collected by the SFIO after securing permission from a court in Kochi. CMRL had earlier come under the scanner of central agencies following an Income Tax Department search in 2019, which reportedly uncovered financial irregularities, including suspected fictitious expenditure running into nearly Rs 130 crore.
The investigation is continuing with the scrutiny of financial records, witness statements and other evidence gathered by the agency.