Kochi: The political spotlight returned to the Vijayan family on Thursday after Veena Vijayan made an unexpected appearance before Enforcement Directorate officials in Kochi for a second round of questioning this month.
Veena, who was reportedly asked to appear on June 29, reached the ED office at around 9.15 a.m. on Thursday, four days earlier than scheduled. Reports said the agency itself had asked her to come in on the earlier date.
Her appearance comes amid the ongoing probe into financial transactions linked to her now-defunct IT firm Exalogic Solutions and the payments it allegedly received from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL).
Officials are said to be examining financial records, company documents, banking transactions and statements gathered during earlier rounds of questioning. Sources said the ED has also obtained materials collected by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office, which is separately looking into the alleged transactions and corporate arrangements.
The case has significant political overtones, with opposition parties repeatedly targeting the Vijayan family over the allegations. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his party have denied any wrongdoing and maintain that the investigations are politically driven.
Thursday’s questioning is being closely watched as investigators deepen their scrutiny of the case and assess whether the payments made to Exalogic had legitimate business backing or amounted to violations of financial and anti-money laundering laws.
(Inputs from IANS)