The Enforcement Directorate has approached the Kerala Director General of Police seeking registration of an FIR against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law P A Mohammed Riyas in connection with the alleged bribery case involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL).
According to official sources, the ED sent the request under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on findings from its investigation into the case. The provision allows the agency to share information and evidence gathered during a money laundering probe with another law enforcement agency for initiating criminal proceedings.
The agency has asked the Kerala Police to register a case against Vijayan, Veena, Riyas and others based on evidence recovered during its investigation and searches carried out as part of the PMLA probe.
The ED alleges that CMRL made payments amounting to around ₹2.78 crore to Veena's now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions. The payments were allegedly presented as charges for IT consultancy services.
The agency had conducted searches linked to Veena in June and later questioned her as part of the investigation. In August, the ED said its searches had also led to the recovery of handwritten records containing details of alleged financial transfers to Dubai.
Riyas has maintained that he and the CPI(M) would respond to the ED proceedings through both political and legal channels. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan has also accused the agency of attempting to target Riyas through the investigation.
Pinarayi Vijayan has previously alleged that the proceedings against his daughter were politically motivated.
