Ex-Kerala CM Pinarayi’s daughter Veena questioned again by ED in CMRL case
T. Veena, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, appeared for questioning at the Enforcement Directorate's Kochi zonal office on Thursday morning, June 25, 2026. This is the second time she has been summoned this month in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) pay-off case.
A day before her appearance, the ED had obtained copies of 134 documents collected by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in the same case. Veena was previously interrogated for nearly eight hours on June 17, 2026. Following that session, the ED inspected her bank lockers in Thiruvananthapuram on June 19.
The agency had issued a fresh summons directing her to appear on June 29, but Thursday's questioning appears to have been prompted by the receipt of the SFIO documents. A special court in Ernakulam earlier permitted the ED to access these documents, which relate to alleged fictitious expenses submitted by CMRL before the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board.
The records include payments amounting to ₹2.78 crore made by CMRL to Exalogic, 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. Additionally, the SFIO investigation revealed fictitious cash expenses of about ₹182 crore over a span of 15 years, allegedly used by CMRL to bribe various individuals.
The ED's 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 corresponding services provided.
