ED raids ex-Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s house in CMRL money-laundering case

The ED searches are being held at 10 premises, including the residences of Pinarayi Vijayan’s son-in-law, Muhammed Riyas, and CMRL MD Sasidharan Kartha

1. 👁 The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 10 locations linked to former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
   

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   The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 10 locations linked to former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his family members and senior executives of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited as part of a money laundering probe on Wednesday

1. 👁 The searches were conducted as part of the probe into alleged payments made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) to Exalogic Solutions,
   

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   The searches were conducted as part of the probe into alleged payments made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) to Exalogic Solutions, the IT firm owned by Veena T, daughter of Pinarayi Vijayan

1. 👁 According to sources, searches are underway in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur and Bengaluru
   

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   According to sources, searches are underway in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur and Bengaluru

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   The premises being searched include Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, his house in Pinarayi in Kannur district, the Kozhikode residence of his son-in-law and former minister Muhammed Riyas, and the homes of senior CMRL executives, including managing director Sasidharan Kartha

1. 👁 The searches came a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed CMRL’s petition
   

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   The searches came a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed CMRL’s petition seeking to quash the ED proceedings in the case

1. 👁 The case emerged in 2023 after Income Tax raids at CMRL, during Vijayan’s tenure as Kerala chief minister
   

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   The case emerged in 2023 after Income Tax raids at CMRL, during Vijayan’s tenure as Kerala chief minister, when investigators alleged that the company had paid about Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions, an IT firm linked to Veena T, between 2017-18 and 2018-19 under agreements for software development, management and consultancy services

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   According to the Income Tax department, Exalogic had not provided any such services despite receiving the payments. The department’s Interim Board of Settlement subsequently termed the transaction an “illegal payment”

1. 👁 The Enforcement Directorate later launched a money laundering probe and questioned CMRL officials
   

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   The Enforcement Directorate later launched a money laundering probe and questioned CMRL officials. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, also opened an investigation into Exalogic and examined wider financial transactions linked to CMRL

1. 👁 It was found that CMRL had allegedly made huge payments to several politicians
   

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   It was found that CMRL had allegedly made huge payments to several politicians, who were mentioned as abbreviations in the documents seized by I-T officials. The beneficiaries allegedly included politicians from various parties