Kerala govt to probe Hawala claims against LoP Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the state government will conduct an enquiry into Hawala allegations by the ED against LoP Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter, and son-in-law. The state DGP has been entrusted to carry out the investigation.

State Government Orders Probe

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday said that the State government will conduct an enquiry into the Hawala allegations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Leader of Opposition in Keralam (LoP) Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and CPI(M) Leader and husband of T Veena, Muhammad Riyas. Speaking to the reporters, Chennithala said that the government has entrusted the Director General of Police (DGP) to carry out the investigation and the order will be issued by the Home Department. He added that the DGP will decide the further proceedings of the inquiry. "Already the government has entrusted the DGP to inquire into the whole matter. And the DGP will issue the order within a few minutes. Home Department will issue the orders. DGP will decide what kind of inquiry is to be conducted," he said.

Meanwhile, State Police Chief Ravada Azad Chandrasekhar noted, "I just came to call on the HM. I have not received the order."

Muhammad Riyas Hits Out at ED

Earlier on September 11, Muhammad Riyas hit out at the Enforcement Directorate over its ongoing probe into financial transactions involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), 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. “My fight against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will continue till my last breath. I am not afraid of the central agency. The ED has been spreading blatant lies, and my wife, Veena Vijayan, has taken a strong stand before the agency. The ED raided my residences in Pinarayi and Thiruvananthapuram, but did they find even 25 paise?” he said.

ED Investigation into CMRL Case

Earlier on September 8, the ED formally approached the Kerala Police seeking registration of an FIR against former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law P A Mohamed Riyas in connection with the alleged CMRL pay-off case. The ED’s Kochi zone is learnt to have written to the Kerala Police seeking registration of the FIR as part of its ongoing investigation into CMRL financial transactions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The development follows searches conducted by the agency at multiple locations in Keralam and Bengaluru in connection with the case. In May, ED officials searched 10 premises linked to CMRL directors SN Sasidharan Kartha, Saran S Kartha, Veena and her company Exalogic Solutions Private Limited. The agency said it recovered records, digital evidence, investment details and bank fixed deposits during the searches and froze around Rs 18.36 crore across nearly 242 accounts.

Details of the Allegations

The controversy arose after the Company of Veena, M/s Exalogic Solutions Private Limited (a one-person company), allegedly received fraudulent payments totalling Rs 2.78 crore from CMRL under the guise of IT Consultancy Services. Further M/s Empower India Capital Investment Private Limited (EICPL), operated by Sasidharan Kartha, Managing Director of CMRL, extended loans to Exalogic totalling Rs. 50 Lakh, despite Exalogic failing to make timely repayments, the ED said in a release.

The agency further claimed that the investigations done by the ED before showed that Proceeds of Crime were generated by the management of CMRL led by SN Sasidharan Kartha and bribes were paid to various persons. Veena is allegedly one of the recipients of money from CMRL without rendering any services. (ANI)

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