Kochi | A court in Kochi on Monday allowed the ED to obtain copies of documents collected by the SFIO in connection with a money laundering case linked to CMRL and involving former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter, Veena T.
Ernakulam Additional District and Sessions Judge Suresh Babu VPM allowed a petition filed by the ED seeking copies of documents gathered by the SFIO, which had investigated alleged fictitious expenses admitted by CMRL before the Income Tax Settlement Commission.
The Enforcement Directorate had sought 134 documents collected by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office during its probe into Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd and Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, the IT consultancy firm owned by Veena.
The petition, filed on June 6, came up for consideration before the court on Monday.
CMRL opposed the plea, arguing that the documents should not be handed over to the ED without hearing the company.
However, after hearing submissions from the ED, the SFIO, and CMRL, the court allowed the petition.
The ED probe pertains to allegations that CMRL made payments amounting to Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions Private Limited without receiving any services in return.
According to the ED, another company, Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited (EICPL), operated by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, had extended loans worth Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic despite the company allegedly failing to make timely repayments.
The agency has alleged that the management of CMRL, led by Kartha and Veena, generated "proceeds of crime" through these transactions.
The ED registered the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case based on a prosecution complaint filed by the SFIO before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025.
The SFIO is the investigation arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
CMRL came under the scanner of central agencies after an Income Tax Department raid in January 2019, which allegedly detected irregularities, including certain expenses suspected to be fictitious and amounting to around Rs 130 crore.
Officials said these expenses were later admitted by CMRL before the Income Tax Settlement Commission, following which a complaint was referred to the SFIO for investigation.
In its prosecution complaint, the SFIO alleged that fictitious cash expenses amounting to Rs 182 crore were recorded by CMRL over a period of 15 years.
It also alleged that the company paid Rs 91 crore towards transportation services to firms owned by the Kartha family.
Last month, the ED conducted searches at 10 locations linked to the case, including premises associated with Veena and former minister P A Mohammed Riyas, who is her husband.
