ED report: Legal advice on registering case against Pinarayi Vijayan in 2 days

The Home Department is likely to receive a legal opinion on the report of the Enforcement Directorate seeking an FIR against Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, his son-in-law and MLA P A Mohammed Riyas and daughter T Veena in two days. Sources said that a comprehensive report analysing the application of provisions under various acts will be submitted. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will also be apprised about the report.

The ED has sought filing of corruption charges against Pinarayi over the alleged monthly pay-offs between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd. Advocate General Jaju Babu has held elaborate consultations with the Director General of Prosecution, T Asaf Ali.

According to officials, the state police chief will decide on the criminal angle of allegations while the AG and DGP are looking into provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. While the key allegation was that Pinarayi Vijayan took a bribe to the tune of ₹3.28 crore through Veena Vijayan, the ED, in the letter, has also raised suspicious hawala transactions.

The ED letter shows that P Suresh Kumar, former CFO and CGM Finance (CMRL), admitted in his statement that although Veena was initially hired under the cover of her purported technical and professional background, she continued to receive payments from the CMRL due to the public relations avenues brought by her and her relationship with her father, Pinarayi Vijayan.

It was found that the processing of monthly retainers was mandated directly by the MD Sasidharan Kartha, bypassing all the standard corporate accounting validations. The ED cited that the phrase 'public relations avenues' was nothing but bribes paid to the former Chief Minister through his daughter.

The ED report also cites documents seized from the residence of Veena during the search operation conducted on May 27, 2026. It shows that certain handwritten documents were recovered from Veena and the analysis of these documents revealed a structured framework of illicit cash routing through friends of her husband Mohammad Riyas.

The legal opinion will mainly centre around provisions applicable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the PMLA. The Congress leadership has been cautious about any hasty move in registering an FIR. It doesn't want to give legal loopholes for the CPM leaders to win a stay order on any kind of case registered by the police. "A detailed report on legal implications will most probably be filed on September 16 or within two days. We will also hold a meeting with the Home Minister," sources said.