Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena to be prosecuted in ₹2.7 crore CMRL case as Centre gives nod

The Central government on Friday, March 4, gave its nod to Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to prosecute Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL)-Exalogic case, taking note of the agency' chargesheet which names Veena as the accused.

According to the SFIO chargesheet, Veena Vijayan and her company Exalogic is accused of accepting a payment of ₹2.73 crore Exalogic without offering any servuce. The SFIO's findings indicate that CMRL and Exalogic had entered into an agreement under which the money was transferred to the company. The agency has concluded that these payments were fraudulent.

What does the chargesheet say?

According to the SFIO chargesheet, Veena Vijayan is named as an accused. As per the investigation, Veena Vijayan ‘received monthly payments from CMRL’ despite no work or service being delivered in return.

Reacting to the development, Kerala Opposition Leader VD Satheesan demanded Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's resignation, saying he has no right to hold the top post.

“The SFIO's inclusion of Chief Minister's daughter Veena Vijayan as an accused in the monthly allowance case is an extremely serious matter. The SFIO charge sheet confirms the allegation that she received remuneration without providing any service,” he said.

“Veena Vijayan's company received Rs. 2.7 crore only as the Chief Minister's daughter without providing any service. In this situation, the Chief Minister should take moral responsibility for the corruption and resign. It is not appropriate for Pinarayi Vijayan to continue as the Chief Minister even for a moment. How can he justify his daughter facing prosecution while sitting in the Chief Minister's position?” he said in a statement.

Satheesan also questioned the silence of the CPM central leadership and said, “All the allegations made by the opposition regarding the monthly allowance have been proven to be true. What more do those who have defended the Chief Minister for so long have to say? The CPM central leadership should also clarify its position on such a serious issue.”

(With ANI inputs)