CMRL pay-off case: E Kerala CM Pinarayi’s daughter Veena appears before ED again
A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) obtained copies of 134 documents collected by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in connection with the Cochin
A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) obtained copies of 134 documents collected by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) pay‑off case, T. Veena, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, appeared for questioning at the Kochi zonal office of the agency on Thursday (June 25, 2026) morning. This is the second time she is being questioned this month. Earlier, she was interrogated for nearly eight hours on June 17, 2026. A day prior to that, the ED had questioned Shiby S.
Kartha, daughter of Sasidharan Kartha and director of an associated firm of CMRL; Saran S. Kartha, joint managing director of CMRL; and Jaya S. Kartha, wife of Sasidharan Kartha, in her capacity as director of Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited (EICIPL). Following her initial round of questioning, the ED inspected Ms. Veena’s bank lockers in Thiruvananthapuram on June 19. Subsequently, the agency issued a fresh summons directing her to appear on June 29 in connection with the money-laundering probe into the CMRL pay-off case.
However, Thursday’s questioning appears to have been prompted by the receipt of documents from the SFIO. A special court in Ernakulam had earlier permitted the Central agency to access the SFIO’s documents, which related to alleged fictitious expenses submitted by CMRL before the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board. These included records of payments amounting to ₹2.78 crore made by CMRL to Exalogic, Ms. Veena’s now-defunct company. The SFIO, under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, found that the money was transferred without any services being rendered in return.
The SFIO investigation had further revealed fictitious cash expenses of about ₹182 crore over a span of 15 years, allegedly used by CMRL to bribe various individuals. The ED case stems from a prosecution complaint filed by the SFIO before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025. According to the SFIO, Exalogic and CMRL allegedly entered into an arrangement under which payments were made without any corresponding services being provided.
The BriefWire