ED asks Veena to appear for another round of questioning in CMRL pay-off case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh notice to Veena T., daughter of Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, asking her to appear before the Central agency for another round of questioning on June 29 in connection with the money-laundering probe in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL) pay-off case, sources said.

Ms. Veena was questioned by the ED at its Kochi office on June 17 in connection with the politically sensitive case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The news of the fresh summons comes close on the heels of the ED officials inspecting Ms. Veena’s bank lockers in Thiruvananthapuram on June 19.

Though she was asked to appear for questioning first on June 12, Ms. Veena had sought postponement of appearance citing health grounds. The ED probe pertains to allegations that CMRL made payments totalling ₹2.78 crore to the now-defucnt Exalogic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., owned by Ms. Veena, without receiving any services in return.

Loan worth ₹50 lakh

The ED is also reportedly probing loans worth ₹50 lakh extended to Exalogic by Empower India Capital Investments Pvt. Ltd. (EICIPL) operated by CMRL Managing Director S.N. Sasidharan Kartha, despite her company failing to make timely repayments.

Besides Ms. Veena, the agency has questioned Shiby S. Kartha, daughter of Mr. Sasidharan Kartha and director of an associated firm of the CMRL; Saran S. Kartha, joint managing director of the CMRL; and Jaya S. Kartha, wife of Mr. Sasidharan Kartha, in her capacity as director of the EICIPL.

The ED case stems from a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025. According to the the SFIO, the investigation arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Exalogic and CMRL allegedly entered into an arrangement under which payments were made without any corresponding services being rendered.