Message to son; routing via Riyas' friends: What ED claims about Veena's Dubai plan in CMRL case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that T. Veena, daughter of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, carried out hawala transactions to Dubai, citing WhatsApp messages recovered during its investigation.

The agency submitted its report to the Kerala state police chief. According to the report, the evidence includes WhatsApp messages, entries from a diary with a red cover and records of certain bank transactions.

The ED has alleged that Veena recorded in the diary details of the money handed over to different people in Kerala. The documents also reportedly contain details linked to the transfer of the money abroad.

The agency said the WhatsApp messages further corroborate the transactions.

According to the ED report, the alleged transactions took place when P.A. Mohammed Riyas was a minister. The agency has reportedly claimed that the money was moved through Riyas' friends and that there is evidence linking them to the transactions.

The report also says Veena stayed in Dubai and attempted to establish a company there. It reportedly contains a WhatsApp message in which she asked her son, who was in Kerala, what the proposed company should be named.

However, the ED has not provided the police with further details on whether the company was eventually established, according to the report.

The allegations have emerged as part of the ED's wider investigation into financial transactions involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Veena's company, Exalogic.

Riyas rejects ED allegations

Riyas has rejected the allegations and accused the ED of pressuring Veena to implicate her father.

He alleged that the agency forced Veena to say that financial transactions between CMRL and Exalogic took place at Pinarayi Vijayan's direction. According to Riyas, she was threatened with arrest after refusing to make such a statement.

Riyas also rejected the claim that Veena told the ED that Exalogic had not provided services to CMRL. He said the claim was being wrongly circulated by the agency.

He further denied the allegation that he and Veena had travelled to Dubai to move hawala money. Riyas said they had travelled to Dubai several times, but not for such transactions.

Government to examine ED's evidence

The state government is reportedly treating the alleged hawala transactions as a more serious issue than the ED's claim that Pinarayi Vijayan received ₹3.28 crore as a bribe from CMRL.

The government plans to examine the evidence cited by the ED in connection with the alleged hawala transactions, along with the source of the money referred to in the report.

A decision on the next course of the investigation will be taken after legal advice and an examination by the Home Department, according to the report.

The government is considering a preliminary investigation and the registration of a case. The report also states that CMRL and Exalogic had an agreement between them, at least on paper.