ED case against Pinarayi Vijayan: Keralam govt gets AG's opinion

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the govt has received the AG's opinion on the ED's request for a corruption case against former CM Pinarayi Vijayan and his family. He stated the matter would be examined and a decision made after CM consults.

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday said the government had received the Advocate General’s legal opinion regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s request to register a corruption case against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, and son-in-law and MLA PA Mohamed Riyas. He said the matter would be examined and further action would be taken. A decision would be made after consulting the Chief Minister.

Further, Chennithala said there was no need to discuss the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issue with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, adding that the matter would be decided within the state. Speaking about Rahul Gandhi’s meeting, Chennithala said, “I do not know whether he has spoken about it. This is an issue that has to be decided here itself.”

On whether the ED action was politically motivated, Chennithala said the government had received the ED’s letter and the Advocate General’s legal opinion. “We will do everything that can be done legally,” he said.

ED Probe in CMRL Case

Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had formally communicated to the Keralam Police through a letter asking to register an FIR against Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, and son-in-law PA Mohamed Riyas under charges of corruption. The agency is already investigating the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) financial transaction case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The move comes almost a month after the agency conducted searches at eight premises at various locations in Kozhikode in Kerala in its ongoing CMRL case.

CMRL is a publicly listed company in which 48.75 per cent shares are held by the general public and also 13.41 per cent shares are held by the Kerala state Public Sector Unit Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (as on March 31, 2023).

Riyas, Vijayan Hit Back at Allegations

Earlier, CPI(M) MLA P A Mohamed Riyas hit out at the agency over the ongoing probe, asserting that his fight against the central agency would continue “till his last breath” and alleged that it had spread “blatant lies”.

Addressing a press conference, Riyas said he was "not afraid" of the central agency and claimed that the agency had raided his residences in Pinarayi and Thiruvananthapuram but failed to recover any money.

Former CM Vijayan has also defended his daughter Veena Vijayan amid the allegations, saying all payments were properly accounted for and taxes were paid. He said, “That company provides services to many people. It provides services to many establishments. At one point, a news report I used to hear was that those receiving the services included religious extremists. That there were institutions of religious extremists. It is a very famous charitable trust.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)