Vijayan accuses ED of making ridiculous allegations; ED wrote to Kerala DGP seeking a corruption FIR against Vijayan, son-in-law Riyas, and daughter Veena
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, breaking his silence on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) allegations, said on Wednesday that political forces have long tried to target him in Kerala but failed to achieve their aim.
The ED had written to the Kerala DGP seeking a corruption case against Vijayan, his son-in-law and former PWD Minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas, and his daughter T. Veena, over alleged monthly payoff deals between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Veena’s now-defunct firm, Exalogic Solutions Pvt. Ltd. According to the ED, Vijayan received Rs 3.28 crore in bribes from CMRL through Veena.
The report also named MLA Mohammed Riyas, accusing him of taking bribes and transferring funds to Dubai via Veena and associates, with Veena allegedly aiding both Vijayan and Riyas in collecting and routing the money.
Speaking to party workers in Alappuzha district, Pinarayi accused the ED of trying to tarnish his image. “They’ve found nothing substantial and are simply acting on the orders of their political masters,” he said. Calling the move “ridiculous,” Vijayan defended his daughter Veena’s career, noting she began at Oracle, a top multinational, before leaving after her marriage to start her own company.
He added that had she stayed at Oracle, she would have earned a high salary. Addressing allegations that her firm provided IT services to institutions run by religious fundamentalists, he said such claims would backfire. Payments from CMRL, he stressed, were made only through bank accounts with all taxes paid, and at that time, Mohammed Riyas was not yet her husband.
The opposition leader hit back at the ED’s latest claim that Veena took money on his behalf and that Riyas sent it abroad. “Such disgraceful allegations from an agency like the ED only reveal their true intent. Now, some media outlets shout in bold headlines that ‘Pinarayi Vijayan took a Rs 3 crore bribe’. Do they think people will believe it just because it’s printed in big letters? My life is an open book before the people, and it cannot be twisted by the allegations or malice of the media,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Wednesday that the ED’s letter to the State Police Chief would be reviewed legally before any decision is made. “The law will take its own course,” he noted at the Cabinet briefing.
Referring to the ED letter, the Chief Minister remarked that it held more significance than it appeared, with irregularities more serious than those already public. Satheesan noted that the ED's communication was a legal action based on Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which deals with intelligence sharing among agencies. The Chief Minister dismissed claims of political vendetta, stating, "This is purely a legal matter, with nothing political about it."
