CMRL money-laundering case: ED summons ex-Keralam CM Pinarayi Vijayan for questioning on October 23

Former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan before the investigators at its zonal office in Kochi on October 23, 2026 for questioning in connection with the money-laundering case linked to the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL)-Exalogic pay-off case.

The Central agency had earlier registered two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Mr. Vijayan and his son-in-law and former Minister and P.A. Mohamed Riyas in the case. T. Veena, Mr. Vijayan’s daughter, is also an accused in both the ECIRs.

The summons has been issued even as Mr. Vijayan approached the Supreme Court on Friday (October 16, 2026) to file an appeal against the direction of a Single Bench of the Kerala High Court to register an FIR against them.

A graphic showing suspicious transactions involving CMRL flagged by the Income Tax Department and Serious Fraud Investigation Office

On Thursday (October 15, 2026), a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed the pleas filed by Mr. Vijayan, Ms. Veena and Mr. Riyas to file an appeal against the Single Judge’s order.

Vigilance cases

The ED’s move comes close on the heels of the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) registering two separate cases in connection with the allegations surrounding the financial transactions between CMRL and Ms. Veena’s now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions.

The ED report had accused Mr. Vijayan of receiving a bribe of ₹3.28 crore through his daughter, based on the alleged admission of CMRL’s former Chief Financial Officer Suresh Kumar.

Mr. Riyas was accused of “receipt of bribes and transfer of such bribe funds to Dubai through Ms. Veena and known associates.” Ms. Veena allegedly “assisted Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Riyas in collecting and routing bribe funds.” Exalogic Solutions was allegedly used for “routing sham payments.”

S.N. Sasidharan Kartha, managing director of CMRL, was accused of paying bribes, while CMRL’s sister concern Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited was accused of transferring bribes.

Last month, the ED claimed to have found “certain handwritten accounts maintained by Ms. Veena pertaining to ₹85 lakh allegedly transferred to Dubai.” The notes contained “names of persons, amounts handled, spent” besides the amount transferred to Dubai. All persons named in Ms. Veena’s handwritten accounts, along with the individual who had provided a SIM card, were covered during the search, according to the ED.

Published - October 16, 2026 02:19 pm IST