CMRL monthly pay-off case: SFIO records Veena Vijayan's statement in Chennai

Kochi:  Veena Vijayan, daughter of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has provided her statement in connection with the monthly pay-off case involving CMRL. It has been reported that she appeared before the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in Chennai last week on Wednesday.

Veena Vijayan's statements were recorded by an officer named Arun Prasad.

Reports indicate that the case is likely to be taken up in the High Court next week. The court had earlier rejected Veena's petition to halt the investigation into the alleged scam.

The case so far

The investigation into the case has been ongoing, with the Centre setting an eight-month deadline for its completion.

The Chief Minister's daughter has consistently maintained that she has no involvement in the case. She has stated that she is solely an IT professional with no political connections.

The investigation, initiated by the central government, focuses on the dealings between the private company Exalogic Solutions, owned by Veena Vijayan, and Cochin Mineral and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL), founded by Sasidharan Kartha. The controversy erupted after the Interim Settlement Board found that CMRL had paid Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions for services that were not provided. This finding has implicated both Veena Vijayan and her father, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as well as their political party. The payments were made between 2017 and 2020, intensifying scrutiny of the case.

The investigation has raised serious questions about the involvement of the Chief Minister's family in financial dealings, with both political and public ramifications still unfolding.