KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued a summons to former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan for interrogation in the CMRL-Exalogic money laundering case, directing him to appear at the agency’s zonal office in Kochi on October 23. This is the first time the agency has summoned Pinarayi in connection with the case.
ED sources said the summons was issued under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, seeking the production of relevant documents and records, contact details, and recording his statement.
The ED has registered separate Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) against Pinarayi, his daughter Veena T and son-in-law and ex-minister P A Mohamed Riyas, over alleged payoffs by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and related hawala deals.
It has alleged that CMRL made fraudulent payments amounting to `2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct firm, Exalogic Solutions, under the guise of IT consultancy and marketing services.
EX-CM LIKELY TO SKIP SUMMONS
Pinarayi is likely to skip appearing before the ED on October 23. A lawyer representing Pinarayi in the High Court said he would respond to the ED, citing the ongoing assembly session — which concludes on October 29 — as the reason for his inability to appear. Pinarayi will also inform the ED that he has approached the Supreme Court, challenging the division bench’s order dismissing his appeal seeking leave to appeal in the payoff case.