Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday slammed the latest developments in the ongoing CMRL-Exalogic case, terming them a manhunt launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after it failed to find substantial evidence during the raids conducted at his residence in May.

The remarks come a day after the ED on Tuesday submitted a report to DGP Ravada Chandrasekhar and sought to file corruption charges against  Pinarayi, his son-in-law and MLA P A Mohammed Riyas, and his daughter T Veena over alleged monthly pay-offs between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Alappuzha Mannar Area Committee office, Pinarayi termed the move baseless, describing it as embarrassing.
“The persecution against me in Kerala has been ongoing for a considerable time. However, it hasn’t escalated to the degree intended by those who wish to undermine me,” he said.

He alleged irregularities in the timeline mentioned in the report, stating that the alleged transactions took place before Veena and Riyas got married.

“The ED has now alleged that Veena received money on my behalf and that this money was funnelled abroad through Riyas. At that point, Mohammed Riyas was not Veena’s husband. The ED’s finding is that the remuneration received for services rendered years ago was kept aside for Mohammed Riyas, who came into the picture years later,” Pinarayi said.

“While an agency like the ED makes such ludicrous and shameful claims, the media are loudly proclaiming in bold headlines that Pinarayi Vijayan accepted a bribe of ₹3 crore,” he said.

He stated that all transactions undertaken by Veena’s company, Exalogic, were legitimate business transactions and had been properly accounted for. He added that all payments required for such transactions had been made, suggesting that there was no basis for the latest money laundering charges.

In the 25-page report submitted by the ED to the DGP, evidence relating to transactions, account details and the charges proposed to be filed are learnt to have been included. So far, only one page of the report, containing a list of persons, has been released. The charges proposed in the report come under the ambit of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Since the list includes two legislators, prior sanction from the Speaker may be required under the relevant provisions of the Act before an FIR can be registered.

According to the agency’s findings, Pinarayi Vijayan allegedly received ₹3.28 crore as a bribe from CMRL through Veena. The ED’s previous communications regarding the filing of FIRs were set aside by the then LDF government, citing a lack of adequate evidence.

The CPM has already described the latest development as part of a deal between the BJP and the Congress. The Congress-led government, meanwhile, will seek to plug all legal loopholes before proceeding with an FIR against Pinarayi and Riyas.

In an affidavit submitted to the High Court, the ED had stated that the diversion of funds by CMRL led to the generation of proceeds of crime by Exalogic through the commission of scheduled offences, which were under investigation by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It further submitted that immediately after the registration of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), as contemplated under the statute, information was forwarded to the Kerala Police under Section 66(2) of the PMLA for registration of a case. The ED said the move was intended to facilitate a prompt inquiry and secure the proceeds of crime if the allegations were found to be genuine during the probe.