CMRL-Exalogic case: Kartha's ED statement tightens noose around Veena and Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: A statement given by Sasidharan Kartha to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the CMRL-Exalogic financial transactions case has emerged as a fresh setback for Veena Vijayan and Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan. Kartha reportedly told the ED that payments were made to Veena and her company solely because of his personal relationship with Pinarayi Vijayan. He also stated that neither Veena nor Exalogic had provided any services to CMRL.

The statement, recorded by the ED on April 17, 2024, has now come to light. According to the ED, CMRL paid around ₹2.78 crore to Veena and Exalogic between 2017 and 2020. The agency concluded that the payments were made for services that were never rendered. The ED report also notes that Veena herself had admitted that no services had been provided.

During earlier questioning, Veena had claimed that she had offered direct guidance to the company. However, she was unable to produce emails or any other documents to substantiate that claim.

According to the statement, Veena received ₹5 lakh per month, while Exalogic received ₹3 lakh per month. Kartha also said that a ₹50 lakh loan had been extended through another financial entity owned by him.

The ED further pointed out that Exalogic, which had been incurring losses during 2014–15, entered into an agreement with CMRL only after the first Pinarayi Vijayan government assumed office in 2016.

As part of the investigation, the ED has frozen 242 bank accounts linked to CMRL. Earlier, it had also frozen ₹16.5 lakh in Veena Vijayan's bank account.