Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan claims the SFIO’s investigation into his daughter T Veena is politically motivated. He dismisses calls for his resignation.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the Serious Fraud Investigation Office’s (SFIO) action against his daughter, T Veena, in the “illegal payment” scandal was aimed at targetting him.
Vijayan said, therefore, he was not taking the SFIO action very seriously. Responding to the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party’s demands for his resignation over it, Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters, “You can keep hoping for my resignation.”
The SFIO has reportedly named T Veena in an “illegal payment” scandal involving her now-defunct IT firm Exalogic and private mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL).
“I know you want my blood, but you will not get it easily,” Pinarayi Vijayan replied on being repeatedly asked about the issue.
On being asked why the party jumped to his daughter’s defence, but the same stand was not taken when late Marxist stalwart Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s son was facing money laundering allegations, Vijayan said in that case, the CPI(M) veteran was not targetted.
Vijayan also accused the media of hiding the fact that the payment received by Exalogic from CMRL was through proper channels, that it was not black money and that GST as well as income tax was paid in connection with it.
He also accused them of hiding CMRL’s claims that the payment was for services rendered by Exalogic. Vijayan said even his daughter’s firm had given details of the services rendered. “But, you hid all that. Why?” he asked.
Who is T Veena?
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- The Indian Express reported that Veena has been under the radar of multiple central agencies following a 2023 Income Tax Department report on Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). The report alleged that CMRL made “illegal payments” worth ₹1.72 crore over three years starting from 2018-19 to Veena’s company, Exalogic, despite the firm not offering any services in return.
- The SFIO investigation reportedly found that Veena T had received ₹2.70 crore from a private mining company without providing any services, news agency PTI reported.
- According to the media reports, the SFIO investigation has uncovered a ₹182 crore financial fraud within the mining company, in which several others are also accused. It stated that the fraud was carried out by inflating non-existent expenses and creating fake bills.
- The Enforcement Directorate is also reportedly preparing to register a case against Veena T, who is already facing a probe by the SFIO in the alleged “illegal payment” scandal.
- The central investigation agency initiated a probe in March 2024 into an alleged illegal payment case linked to Veena, after receiving a complaint from Shone George — a Kottayam district panchayat member and son of veteran politician PC George, who recently aligned with the BJP.
- Shone approached the ED, demanding an investigation into Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, the IT firm run by Veena.
- There were also media reports that the Union ministry of corporate affairs has granted approval for prosecution proceedings against her in the SFIO case.
- Veena has often found herself at the centre of political controversies in Kerala, dating back to her college days. Her father, Pinarayi Vijayan, came under fire from political opponents when Veena pursued engineering in a private college in Tamil Nadu in the early 2000s — a move seen as contradictory to the CPI(M)’s then-stance against self-financing colleges in Kerala.