Pinarayi Vijayan's Daughter Veena Faces CMRL Fraud Probe

Thiruvananthapuram, April 4: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday faced criticism after the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) received prosecution sanction against his daughter Veena Vijayan in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL)-Exalogic case.

Key Points

SFIO finds fraudulent payment to Veena Vijayan's Exalogic company

Opposition demands CM Pinarayi Vijayan's resignation

Serious allegations of corruption emerge

No services rendered in Rs 2.73 crore transaction

According to the SFIO, a payment of Rs 2.73 crore was made to Veena Vijayan and her company, Exalogic, without any service being rendered. 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.

Veena Vijayan has been named as an accused in the SFIO's charge sheet. The investigation found that she allegedly received monthly payments from CMRL despite no work or service being delivered in return.

Reacting to the development, Kerala Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said the Chief Minister has no right to remain in office.

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.

He added that the offence is punishable with imprisonment and claimed that the funds were transferred merely due to her being the Chief Minister's daughter

"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."

Reader Comments

Rajesh K.

This is really disappointing. Public figures should be held to higher standards. If the allegations are true, it's a clear case of corruption. The CM should address this properly instead of staying silent.

Sunita M.

Let's not jump to conclusions before the court proceedings. Everyone deserves a fair trial. But if proven guilty, strict action should be taken regardless of political connections. 🤔

Anil T.

The opposition is making too much noise about this. Where were they when their own leaders were involved in scams? This feels like political vendetta more than genuine concern about corruption.

Priya R.

As a woman entrepreneur, this makes me angry. If true, it undermines all of us who work hard to build legitimate businesses. No one should get money just for being related to powerful people. 👎

Manoj V.

Respectful criticism here - the article seems one-sided. It only quotes the opposition leader. Would be good to include the CM's or his daughter's response to these allegations for balance.

Lakshmi S.

Corruption has become so normalized in our politics. 2.7 crore is a huge amount that could have helped so many people. Hope the courts handle this swiftly and transparently. 🙏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:

Kerala Politics Pinarayi Vijayan CMRL Fraud Veena Vijayan SFIO Investigation Corruption Allegations