Former Keralam chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said his hands and those of his daughter T Veena and other family members were clean and asserted that none of them had engaged in any hawala dealings.
Reacting to the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering probe against Veena, Vijayan said she had cooperated with the investigation and would continue to provide all information sought by the agency.
"Neither I, my daughter nor any member of my family has done any hawala dealings. I am fully convinced about that. These hands are clean and will remain clean," Vijayan said.
He strongly defended Veena, saying several issues were being raised only because she was his daughter. "Veena is not the owner of a lot of property. The amount of money being talked about is also not huge," he said at a press conference here.
Vijayan also questioned what he termed as unusual actions by the ED in the case, pointing out that the agency normally puts out information on its website rather than issuing press releases.
"In this case, a press release was issued. In the press release, it mentioned my name as P Vijayan. It also says former chief minister. Why was it necessary to say that?" he asked.
Vijayan alleged that certain media organisations were publishing reports against him without evidence and questioned the basis of a report that money received by Veena was transferred to the account of her husband and former state minister Mohammed Riyas.
"On what evidence was the news that Veena transferred the money to Mohammed Riyas' account published? Do they think anything can be done if it is against Pinarayi Vijayan?" he asked.
Vijayan said Veena had cooperated with the probe and would have no hesitation in providing information to the agency in future as well.
The ED's money laundering case relates to Kerala-based mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd, a company promoted by Veena and now defunct.
The probe concerns allegations that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic without receiving any services in return.
Vijayan's remarks came two days after the ED, in a press release, said it had seized handwritten notes during searches at Veena's premises in May, which allegedly contained details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.
The agency has recently questioned Veena and members of the CMRL board several times as part of the investigation.
The ED registered the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) before a court in Kochi.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ED also claimed that digital devices seized during the searches contained a photograph of a SIM card obtained in another person's name, which Veena allegedly used to make internet-based calls.
The federal agency said it conducted fresh searches on August 18 in Kozhikode against people named in Veena's handwritten accounts and the person who allegedly provided her with the SIM card.
(With inputs from PTI)
