'Pinarayi is the real culprit', says Kuzhalnadan after ED seeks corruption charges in CMRL payoff case

Muvattupuzha MLA and Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan on Tuesday said former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is the “real culprit” in the CMRL payoff case, following the Enforcement Directorate’s move to register a corruption case against him and his family.

Kuzhalnadan also said he was extremely happy that a case had finally been registered against Pinarayi, who is now the Leader of the Opposition.

Earlier in the day, the ED sought registration of a separate corruption case against Pinarayi, his son-in-law and MLA P A Mohammed Riyas, and daughter T Veena in connection with the alleged monthly payoff transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Kuzhalnadan said Tuesday was a personally significant day for him. “Personally, this is a very happy day for me. Pinarayi Vijayan is the real culprit in the case. What Pinarayi Vijayan had been saying all these years has been proven to be lies,” he told the media.

According to an ED report, Pinarayi Vijayan allegedly received ₹3.28 crore as a bribe from CMRL through his daughter Veena.

Kuzhalnadan recalled that he was among the first to raise allegations against Pinarayi in connection with the case. “What I had to endure after that was isolation and repeated attacks,” he said, adding that his fight against the alleged payoff scandal had not been easy.

He also alleged that the 10 years of Left Democratic Front rule in Kerala had been marked by corruption, and accused Pinarayi Vijayan and his family of involvement in the alleged scandal.

“The last 10 years were filled with corruption. Just like the CMRL case, Pinarayi and his family have collected crores of rupees from several companies,” he alleged.

Kuzhalnadan said he had earlier sought registration of a case against Pinarayi and his family under the Prevention of Corruption Act, while the LDF was in power. “Now that the case is under the Prevention of Corruption Act, it is now evident who is behind this” he said.

The case pertains to allegations that CMRL paid ₹2.78 crore to Veena and her company for IT and consultancy services that were allegedly never provided. The ED has alleged that the payments were not genuine consultancy fees but, in effect, bribes routed through Exalogic and other entities.