ED Registers Money Laundering Case Against Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s Daughter

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday registered a money laundering case against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan and her IT company. According to the Economic Times, this move is part of a probe over alleged illegal payments made by a private mineral firm to Veena Vijayan and the company.

The report, citing sources, said that the probe agency has registered the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED is also expected to summon the people involved in this matter. The case was reportedly registered by ED’s Kochi office.

At the same time, the central government earlier ordered an investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) into the affairs of Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, owned by Veena Vijayan. In February, the firm approached the Karnataka High Court, questioning this move. However, in a major setback, the court rejected the petition filed by the company. SFIO is an investigative arm of the Union corporate affairs ministry.

As per the report, ED filed the case based on a complaint by the SFIO. Notably, the allegation is that a private company made a payment of ₹ 1.72 crore to Veena Vijayan’s IT firm between 2017 and 2018, even though no services had been provided.

In February, CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that his daughter started her business venture in Bengaluru with the help of his wife’s retirement funds. “The allegations against me and my family are false. You can keep making the accusations,” said the Kerala CM during a discussion in the Assembly, as quoted by Onmanorama.