Kochi: Two senior officials of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL), whose statements were relied upon by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in seeking a corruption case against Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law and MLA P A Mohammed Riyas, had retracted those statements in 2024, alleging that they were obtained under pressure and intimidation.

The retractions, submitted to the ED Directorate in New Delhi on May 15, 2024, surfaced now, assuming significance after the agency cited the statements in its latest report to the Kerala State Police Chief over the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case.

The two officials are former CMRL Chief Financial Officer and Chief General Manager (Finance) P Suresh Kumar and current Chief General Manager K S Suresh Kumar.

They were questioned at the ED’s Kochi zonal office between April 14 and 17, 2024, as part of the agency’s investigation into the financial transactions between CMRL and Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd, the IT company owned by Veena.

In their retraction affidavits, both officials alleged that the statements recorded during the questioning were not an accurate account of their submissions.

P Suresh Kumar said he felt intimidated and pressured while his statement was being recorded. He alleged that explanations given on behalf of CMRL were left out and that he was made to sign records after portions of his testimony had been excluded or altered.

K S Suresh Kumar made a similar allegation, claiming that investigators pressured him to name specific political leaders as alleged recipients of money from CMRL.

The officials also alleged that their signatures were obtained on statements that did not fully reflect what they had told the agency.

P Suresh Kumar further claimed in his affidavit that he witnessed ED personnel forcibly obtaining the fingerprint impressions of CMRL Managing Director S N Sasidharan Kartha during the proceedings.

Both officials said they sent their retractions to the ED in Delhi within a month of their questioning, citing concerns about their personal safety and that of their families.

Statements cited in latest ED report
The affidavits have surfaced at a crucial stage in the case. On September 7, the ED forwarded a detailed report to the Kerala State Police Chief under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), seeking action over alleged corruption in the CMRL-Exalogic transactions.

The agency has alleged that payments made by CMRL were not genuine consultancy fees but part of an illegal gratification arrangement. It has sought registration of a case against Vijayan, Veena and P A Riyas, among others under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The ED has alleged that CMRL paid ₹2.78 cr to Veena and Exalogic without corresponding services and has further alleged that ₹3.28 cr was paid as illegal gratification to Pinarayi Vijayan through Veena.

The agency’s report reportedly relies, among other material, on the statement of former CMRL finance executive P Suresh Kumar.

The existence of his 2024 retraction therefore puts a disputed statement at the centre of the latest phase of the investigation.

Riyas had already rejected the allegations against him, accusing the ED of intimidating people during questioning and extracting statements according to a predetermined narrative.