ED summons Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter again in CMRL money laundering case

THe ED has issued a invigorated note to former chief government minister Pinarayi Vijayan's girl Veena T, asking her to seem for questioning on June 29 in a money laundering case linked to mining company CMRL and her now-defunct IT firm, sources said on Sunday.This will be the second round of questioning of Veena by the central agency in the case.She was questioned for over nine hours at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Kochi office on June 17 in connection with the case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).On June 19, ED officials inspected Veena's bank lockers in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the ongoing probe.Also Read: Ex-Kerala CM's daughter Veena appears for questioning before ED in PMLA caseAccording to ED sources, further questioning was deemed necessary after analysing Veena's statement and the evidence collected during the investigation.A fresh notice was subsequently issued directing her to appear before the agency on June 29.Sources said statements of four other accused persons have also been recorded so far.What is the case about?The ED probe pertains to allegations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) made payments totalling ₹2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd, owned by Veena, without receiving any services in return.According to the agency, another company, Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited, operated by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, had extended loans worth ₹50 lakh to Exalogic despite the firm allegedly failing to repay them on time.The ED has alleged that Veena and the management of CMRL generated "proceeds of crime" through these transactions.Also Read: Rahul Gandhi vs Pinarayi Vijayan: Is the INDIA bloc cracking after LoP's ‘hug’ remark?The agency registered the case under the PMLA based on a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025.The SFIO, the investigation arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, had accused Exalogic and CMRL of entering into an arrangement under which payments were allegedly made without any corresponding services being rendered.CMRL came under the scrutiny of central agencies following an Income Tax Department search in January 2019, which allegedly unearthed financial irregularities, including suspected fictitious expenditure amounting to around ₹130 crore.Also Read: ‘Rahul Gandhi’s approach helps BJP, does not strengthen INDIA bloc': Vijayan hits back after Cong leader's 'hug’ remark