The Enforcement Directorate has issued a notice to former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to appear before it for questioning next week regarding the alleged Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited and Exalogic payoffs, even as the Supreme Court indicated that it may constitute a special bench during the Dussehra holidays to hear his plea seeking protection from arrest.
Officials familiar with the matter stated that Vijayan has been summoned to the central agency's zonal unit office in Kochi on October 23. This marks the first time the central agency has summoned him in connection with the ongoing investigation.
The development follows the Kerala High Court's refusal to interfere with an order directing the registration of first information reports against Vijayan, his daughter Veena, and his son-in-law, former minister PA Mohamed Riyas. The FIRs were filed in connection with financial dealings between CMRL and Veena's now-defunct firm, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau filed the FIRs following the high court's direction to investigate alleged corruption and conspiracy over payments made by CMRL and an associate company to Exalogic and Veena. Vijayan is named as the first accused in one FIR, Riyas is the first accused in the other, and Veena is named as the second accused in both.
Investigators noted that Exalogic allegedly received funds monthly, while Veena was paid separately as a consultant despite the alleged absence of corresponding services. Senior counsel appearing for Vijayan informed the Supreme Court that his client faces the risk of arrest.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau claimed that a former CMRL chief financial officer admitted under oath that Veena was paid due to public relations avenues and her relationship with her father, who was the Kerala chief minister at the time. The agency registered the FIRs based on an Enforcement Directorate finding that CMRL made monthly payments to Exalogic Solutions while Vijayan held office.
The high court previously ordered the vigilance bureau to register an FIR and initiate an inquiry following a petition seeking directions to charge Vijayan and others based on enforcement findings. The inquiries relate to alleged bribes routed through family members as well as funds allegedly transferred abroad through hawala channels.
The case gained public attention after the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board found that Veena and her firm received regular payments from CMRL between 2017 and 2019 despite rendering no services, following an initial 2017 agreement for software and marketing support.
Tax authorities subsequently flagged tax evasion through exaggerated expenses during raids on CMRL premises and residences of company executives, uncovering records indicating payments to various prominent figures. Political opposition parties alleged the payments were bribes exchanged for favors in the mining sector.
Following inquiries by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Karnataka High Court, the Enforcement Directorate registered a case against Veena and CMRL under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A prosecution complaint was later filed in a special court in Kochi charging involved parties over alleged fraudulent payments, while Vijayan has consistently termed the allegations baseless and vowed to fight them legally and politically.