ED to seek Dubai's help via letters rogatory in probe against ex-Kerala CM, kin

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is in the process of reaching out to authorities in Dubai through letters rogatory (LRs) to seek information about the alleged hawala transactions and to trace the money trail in the CMRL-Exalogic case involving former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter T Veena, people in the know told ET.

The agency is also expected to summon Veena, who owns the now-defunct IT firm Exalogic Solutions, for questioning in the case soon, according to sources.

The latest developments come days after the ED summoned Vijayan to appear before its Kochi zonal office on October 23 in connection with the alleged payments made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to Exalogic and suspected subsequent transfers of money through hawala channels.


The proposed outreach to Dubai authorities is aimed at obtaining information relevant to the alleged overseas transactions and establishing the movement of funds, including their possible beneficiaries.

ED's investigation centres on allegations that CMRL paid Exalogic Rs 2.78 crore under the guise of IT consultancy and related services despite allegedly receiving no corresponding services. The agency has alleged that the payments formed part of a wider arrangement involving illegal gratification to Vijayan during his tenure as chief minister. The allegations have not been established in court.

The investigation gathered momentum after ED conducted searches at premises linked to Vijayan, Veena and others. Following the searches, the agency said it had recovered handwritten accounts, digital evidence and other material pointing to suspected transfers through hawala channels.

According to ED's account of the seized material, handwritten entries referred to approximately ?20.05 crore handled in Indian currency and 3.49 lakh UAE dirhams, equivalent to around Rs 85 lakh, allegedly transferred to Dubai. The federal agency has maintained that the amounts recorded in the accounts were over and above the payments received by Exalogic from CMRL.

ED has alleged that PA Mohamed Riyas, Vijayan's son-in-law and a former Kerala minister, helped facilitate transfers of money to Dubai through Veena and others. These allegations are also under investigation.

The agency had earlier forwarded a report to the Kerala police seeking registration of cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Vijayan, Veena, Riyas and others. The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau subsequently registered two FIRs following a Kerala High Court directive.

ED has since registered two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) to investigate the alleged payoffs and the suspected hawala transactions separately.

Vijayan has denied wrongdoing and maintained that his family members have not engaged in hawala dealings.