KOCHI : The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) on Monday carried out a search at the corporate office of the Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Ltd (CMRL) in Aluva as it commenced its probe into the affairs of Exalogic Solutions, the IT firm owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena T.
It is learnt the officials checked the documents related to the alleged payments made by the company to Veena and her firm. CMRL managing director Sasidharan Kartha was present at the time of the search, which began around 9am.
A six-member team headed by SFIO deputy director M Arun Prasad is probing the matter.
Exalogic has been in the eye of a storm after the Registrar of Companies (RoC) came out with a preliminary report pointing out major violations in its transactions with Kochi-based CMRL.
The RoC had recommended investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The latest probe comes at a time when the Left has been trying to defend politically the allegations raised against the CM. A political row kicked off after the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board (ITISB) revealed that Veena allegedly received Rs 1.72 crore from CMRL for consultancy services that were never provided
. The issue came before the ITISB after the I-T department alleged an illegal transaction wherein CMRL paid the firm Rs 1.72 crore in the guise of installments.