CMRL-Exalogic case: Reports say Veena's red diary contains foreign bank details, hawala references

Thiruvananthapuram: Purported pages said to be from an Enforcement Directorate (ED) report in the CMRL-Exalogic case have emerged in the media, with the documents allegedly containing nine pages of a ‘red diary’ linked to Veena Vijayan.

The development comes amid a political controversy over claims that the ED recovered a red diary during searches connected with its probe into alleged payments made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to Veena's now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions.

The claims have been disputed by CPM leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who denied that a red diary belonging to his daughter had been recovered during a search at her residence.

The ED has sent a letter to Kerala DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar seeking registration of an FIR against Veena, her husband and former tourism minister Mohammed Riyas, and some others. The agency has cited evidence it says was gathered during its investigation and searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

What the ED has alleged

The ED has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments totalling Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions in the guise of providing IT consultancy services.

As part of the investigation, the federal agency searched premises linked to Veena. She was living with Vijayan at a rented accommodation in Thiruvananthapuram at the time. She was subsequently questioned by the agency.

According to reports on ED report submitted to the State Police Chief, copies of nine pages of an alleged red diary have been included in the documents.

The report is also said to contain another sheet listing payments allegedly made to people close to Riyas. The names reportedly mentioned include Faijas, Nikhil, Waris and Shaijal.

The purported documents also refer to foreign banks and account numbers, according to the reports. The amounts are reportedly recorded in UAE dirhams. One entry dated September 17, 2024, is said to record a total deposit of AED 282,600.

Signatures and alleged payment records

The ED has reportedly claimed that the recovered diary contains signatures of Veena and witnesses. According to the agency, these signatures were made to confirm the entries recorded in the diary.

The report is also said to contain details of money allegedly paid through Faijas.

The purported documents have emerged in the media as CPM-supporting social media handles circulate claims that the alleged red book and statements attributed to it were fabricated by the media.

The authenticity and provenance of the pages circulating in the media have not been independently established in the material provided.

ED refers to alleged hawala links

The ED report also reportedly refers to WhatsApp chats involving Waris. Some telephone numbers in the chats were allegedly saved with the word ‘hawa’. Media reports have interpreted some of these references as relating to hawala transactions. One number belonging to Subair Karuvampoyil was allegedly saved as ‘Subair Koduvalli Hawala’, according to the reports.

Other numbers were reportedly saved with references to ‘hawala agents’. The ED is also said to have referred to messages in which numbers appearing on currency notes were shared through WhatsApp.

According to the agency's allegation, these messages represented coded communications used to facilitate money transfers. The ED has further alleged that a substantial amount of money collected in Kerala was moved abroad through hawala channels.

Report sent to Kerala DGP

The ED submitted its report to the State Police Chief citing provisions of the PMLA. These provisions require the local police to investigate the underlying offence connected to a suspected money-laundering transaction.

The report is also said to contain court judgments which the ED believes support its position.

The allegations are part of the agency's ongoing probe into the CMRL-Exalogic case. The claims regarding the purported diary pages and their contents remain allegations, while the documents circulating in the media have not been independently authenticated.