Kerala vigilance bureau registers two FIRs in CMRL payments case

Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered two criminal cases over financial dealings involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions, a now-defunct company owned by T. Veena.

Veena is the daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and both she and former Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas are named in the cases.

Vijayan is named in one case, which concerns allegations that CMRL made improper payments to Exalogic and that public office may have been misused.

The allegations also include possible criminal conspiracy and receipt of an improper financial benefit.

A second case concerns suspected hawala transactions and the transfer of money abroad through intermediaries.

The transactions came under scrutiny after investigations by India’s Income Tax Department and action by the Enforcement Directorate; an Income Tax panel said Veena and her company received ₹1.72 crore in monthly payments despite no evidence of services in return.

The Kerala High Court directed the state government to register cases after a petition challenged its decision to conduct a preliminary inquiry first.