Kochi, June 17: Veena Vijayan, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, arrived at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here on Wednesday for questioning related to the controversial CMRL-Exlogic case.
Around 10:30 AM, Veena stepped out of her vehicle wearing a mask and entered the ED premises amid tight security and a significant media presence.
Her husband, P.A. Mohammad Riyas, a legislator from the CPI(M), accompanied her but did not enter the office.
The ED office in Kochi resembled a fortress that morning, with a heavy police presence and television crews lined up outside, all eyes on Veena as she arrived.
News channels had been tracking her movements since early morning, reporting that she and Riyas were traveling from the state capital to Kochi.
Initially, the ED had summoned Veena to appear last week. However, she informed the agency that she was unwell and offered to submit documents through her lawyer. The ED did not accept this request and issued a new notice for her to appear in person on Wednesday.
This inquiry is part of the ongoing investigation into the CMRL-Exlogic case, which has been under scrutiny for nearly 30 months. The case gained political significance following allegations of financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and the now-defunct IT firm Exlogic Solutions.
Last month, the ED conducted a search at Pinarayi Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, where Veena also resides.
In the past two days, several senior officials associated with CMRL, including the managing director S. Shashidharan Kartha’s wife, son, and daughter, have appeared before the agency for questioning and later left the office.
Veena’s appearance before the ED marks a significant turn in this controversy, as it is the first time in Kerala’s history that a chief minister’s daughter has been summoned by a central agency.
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S.C.H./P.M.
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