Handwritten ledgers, foreign transfers flagged in vigilance cases against Pinarayi, Veena, Riyas

The corruption cases registered against former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and former Public Works Department (PWD) Minister P A Mohammed Riyas cite alleged financial transactions, handwritten ledgers and electronic communications as evidence of suspected corruption and money laundering.

The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Monday registered two separate FIRs in connection with the CMRL-Exalogic case, following a Kerala High Court directive on Friday to register cases based on information provided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court held that the ED's communication contained sufficient material to disclose cognisable offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In its 25-page communication, the ED had included witness statements, financial transaction records, entries from seized diaries and notebooks, and chat records.

Handwritten ledgers, overseas transactions cited in Riyas case
The FIR registered against Riyas alleges that he illicitly accumulated wealth during his tenure as a minister and subsequently routed the money to foreign countries through intermediaries.

The FIR cites handwritten notes seized from Veena's residence, which allegedly contain accounts maintained by her on behalf of her husband. Another handwritten note reportedly details extensive domestic and overseas electronic transactions involving Fajaz, a UAE-based associate of Veena and Riyas.

One page records a “Total Deposit” of 282,600 UAE dirhams and a transfer of 146,600 dirhams to Fajaz in September 2024. It also contains the entries “Total sent from here - 85L” and “Total Faijaz received - 349K (AED)”. The FIR cites these entries as indications of the alleged routing of funds through illicit channels, including the transfer of ₹85 lakh converted into foreign currency.

According to the FIR, official immigration records show that Veena travelled to Dubai on four occasions in 2024. The document alleges that these trips, when considered alongside the handwritten ledgers and messages recovered from a phone, point to an attempt to establish a benami shell company to route and launder funds allegedly accumulated illegally in India, with Fajaz acting as the principal intermediary.

The FIR further alleges that Riyas travelled with Veena to Dubai between May 2 and May 19, 2024, using a SIM card registered in the name of Nandulal M, who was appointed Destination Manager of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), Kozhikode, in 2023. The document alleges that the SIM card was used to conceal their identities.

It also alleges that Veena, who had no discernible lawful source of income during the period under investigation, resided with Riyas at the government-allotted minister's bungalow and managed funds allegedly generated by him. The handwritten records are cited as evidence of substantial unaccounted cash transactions.

The FIR states that the materials collected prima facie indicate a nexus among the accused and other individuals allegedly involved in the transactions.

Case against Pinarayi
The other FIR, registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, names Pinarayi Vijayan, Veena and her now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions as accused. Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) Managing Director S N Sasidharan Kartha, former Chief Financial Officer P Suresh Kumar and its associate concern Empower India Capital Investments are also named in the FIR.

The FIR alleges that Pinarayi, while serving as Chief Minister, abused his position to secure illicit pecuniary benefits for himself, his daughter and her company. It further alleges that CMRL and Empower India made payments totalling ₹3.28 crore to Veena and Exalogic under the guise of IT consultancy and marketing services.

According to the FIR, Exalogic and Veena received monthly retainers of ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh, respectively, under a service-level agreement. The document alleges that the payments were made by Suresh Kumar on Kartha's instructions, bypassing standard corporate accounting validations.

The FIR also states that CMRL paid Veena approximately ₹50 lakh between March 3, 2017, and November 11, 2017, without corresponding invoices. It alleges that neither Veena nor Exalogic provided consultancy services to CMRL and that the payments were made solely because of the personal and political influence wielded by Veena and her father.