Published Sep 15, 2026 | 12:18 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 15, 2026 | 12:18 PM
Veena with her husband and former minister Muhammed Riyas.
Synopsis: According to the ED, ₹2.78 crore was credited to Veena’s bank account, while another ₹50 lakh was deposited into Exalogic Solutions’ account, taking the total to ₹3.28 crore. Responding to reports based on the ED’s findings, Veena’s husband and CPI(M) leader Mohammed Riyas said the agency was presenting a “well-crafted script” to create a media trial and damage the reputation of those being investigated. He sarcastically said the “fake script” deserved a national-level award.
Fresh details from a letter, purportedly submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to the Keralam police chief in the CMRL-Exalogic case, have put MLA PA Mohammed Riyas and his wife T. Veena under renewed scrutiny, with the agency referring to statements, WhatsApp chats, alleged hawala transactions, and entries in a ‘red book’.
Veena is the daughter of Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan.
Riyas, however, dismissed the allegations as a politically motivated “well-crafted script,” aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
According to the ED, a statement recorded from Hassan Waris, an associate of Riyas, during a search at his Feroke residence on 18 August provided further evidence of an alleged illicit financial nexus.
The agency said Waris had told investigators that on Riyas’s instructions in June-July 2024, unidentified persons delivered cash to his office.
The statement allegedly said the money was subsequently remitted to Faijas VP in Dubai in five instalments through hawala agent Subair Karuvamboyil.
The dates ED mentioned were 3 July, 20 July, 22 July and 23 July 2024, and 5 July 2025.
The ED also referred to WhatsApp chats between Waris and individuals identified as Faijas and Subair.
The ED said Waris admitted in a written statement that the chats were his.
Subair’s contact, the ED said, was saved in Waris’s phone as “DXB Subair koduvally Hawala”.
The letter also contained details of payments allegedly received by Veena from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) from March 2017.
The payment statement cited by the ED showed ₹9 lakh being credited to Veena’s account on 4 March 2017.
ED said ₹2.78 crore was credited to Veena’s bank account, while another ₹50 lakh was deposited into Exalogic Solutions’ account, taking the total to ₹3.28 crore. Veena owned the now-defunct Exalogic.
It was further alleged that the amount constituted a bribe paid to the then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan through Veena.
The agency cited the statement of former CMRL CFO P Sureshkumar, who allegedly told investigators that the payments were made to Veena because of her connection with Vijayan.
The ED further alleged that Exalogic had not provided services to CMRL.
Also Read: ED conducts third round of raids in CMRL-Exalogic case involving T Veena
The agency has also included copies of nine pages purportedly from a ‘red book’ in its report to the police chief.
The development came amid a political controversy over claims that police recovered such a document during a search at the residence of Vijayan and Veena.
A separate sheet allegedly contains details of payments to associates of Riyas, with the names of Faijas, Nikhil, Waris and Shaijal appearing in the document.
It also contained references to foreign banks and account numbers, with amounts recorded in dirhams, according to the ED.
Responding to reports based on the ED’s findings, Riyas said the agency was presenting a “well-crafted script” to create a media trial and damage the reputation of those being investigated.
He sarcastically said the “fake script” deserved a national-level award.
Riyas said the ED was attempting to portray notes relating to possible future business prospects as evidence of a hawala transaction.
He also questioned the agency’s claim that Veena had admitted to such a transaction, saying that during the three rounds of questioning, the ED had not asked a single question specifically about hawala transactions.
He said the signature on the statement cited by the agency merely authenticated the information recorded and should not be construed as an admission of wrongdoing.
Riyas also alleged that the ED portrayed even Nammal Beypore, a collective formed to address development issues in his constituency, as a hawala-linked group.
He alleged that the selective circulation of the ED-related reports on the day the extended state committee meeting of the CPI(M) was concluding had a political motive.
Riyas described the attempt as an effort to tarnish his public image through a media trial.
He affirmed full faith in the legal system and said he would present further details before the court during the trial.
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
