The ED carried out searches at Vijayan’s properties in differnts parts of Kerala over alleged payments made to a firm owned by his daughter T. Veena.
BY PC Bureau
May 27, 2026: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations linked to former Kerala Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation connected to the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case.
According to officials, ED teams carried out raids at nearly 10 to 12 locations across Kerala. The searches reportedly covered Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, his ancestral family house in Kannur, the residence of his son-in-law in Kozhikode, and several other premises linked to individuals connected with the investigation.
The probe centres around alleged payments amounting to nearly ₹1.72 crore made by Kochi-based private firm Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited to Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, an IT company owned by Vijayan’s daughter, T. Veena, between 2017 and 2020. Investigators suspect the payments were made without any corresponding services being rendered, raising allegations of financial irregularities and possible money laundering.
VIDEO | Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others as part of its investigation into the CMRL money laundering case, officials said. Visuals from Pinarayi Vijayan’s… pic.twitter.com/LqNDB1yUwh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 27, 2026
The case first came under scrutiny after an Income Tax Department report flagged the transactions as suspicious. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Veena Vijayan and her company. A recent order by the Kerala High Court reportedly allowed the agency to proceed with its investigation after dismissing petitions seeking to quash the probe.
Wednesday’s searches mark the first time ED officials have conducted physical raids at properties linked to Pinarayi Vijayan’s family in connection with the case. The development comes weeks after the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections, following which Vijayan assumed the role of Leader of Opposition.
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Leaders of the CPI(M) strongly criticised the ED action, alleging that central agencies were being used for “political vendetta” against opposition parties. Party leaders questioned the timing of the raids and claimed the move was aimed at politically targeting the Left after the recent electoral setback.
Opposition parties, including the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), however, demanded a fair and transparent investigation, asserting that no individual should be above the law regardless of political position.
ED officials had not issued any formal statement on recoveries or further action at the time of filing this report, and searches were reportedly continuing.
Pinarayi Vijayan, who served as Kerala Chief Minister for nearly a decade until May 2026, has previously faced scrutiny from central agencies over issues including the KIIFB Masala Bond case. Vijayan and the CPI(M) have consistently maintained that such investigations are politically motivated.
The latest development is expected to intensify political tensions in Kerala as the newly elected government settles into office and the state prepares for the upcoming Assembly session.
