With the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe reaching Exalogic solutions, the firm owned by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan, the CPI-M has released a document defending the chief minister’s daughter’s firm
The document is released as part of the left party’s attempts to arm its cadres with the party version of the controversy surrounding Exalogic Solutions.
It is unprecedented for the party to issue pamphlets and documents to party cadres about any case that is facing serious investigation.The party kept mum when similar allegations were levelled against Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of late CPI-M leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, two years back.
The document criticizes the central government for allegedly distorting Exalogic’s bank transactions and accuses Central agencies of crafting false narratives to politically undermine the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s development agenda.
“Exalogic had carried out all the dealings through the bank with clear documents. However, it had been distorted. Campaigns were carried out without even hearing their side in a subject on which the company had no complaint in the first instance. The central government has taken up defaming the state government and its developmental activities as a political agenda,” the document said.
The document does not explicitly mention Veena Vijayan or the mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). The Document alleges that CM Vijayan is being targeted through Veena for political reasons.
“Concerted efforts are being carried out to defame the CM individually by airing false stories against him by the central agencies and other similar institutions.
The state government had asked the central government to inquire about the gold smuggling case through diplomatic channels to bring clarity in matters like the source of the smuggled gold and to whom it was sent. However, instead of inquiring about these they had used the case to defame the CM and the party,” the document said.
In the document, Veena Vijayan’s innocence is mentioned in a section explaining the Modi government’s atrocities on Kerala.
In this connection,the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), which is probing the financial dealings of Exalogic Solutions, the firm owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan as well as Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Industrial( KSIDC, has issued a summons to Veena Vijayan, owner of Exalogic Solutions , seeking various documents as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Exalogic Solutions has approached the Karnataka High Court with a plea to quash the SFIO probe and the court is expected to take up the matter for hearing on Monday
Exalogic Solutions,has been in the eye of a storm after the Registrar of Companies (RoC) came out with a preliminary report pointing out major violations in its transactions with Kochi-based CMRL.
The RoC had recommended investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Income Tax Interim Settlement Board (ITISB) had found that CMRL had disbursed Rs 135 crore to political leaders and others after 2016. The ITISB has also found that a total of Rs 1.72 crore was received by Veena Vijayan and her company Exalogic during 2017-20 from the mining company, the CMRL without providing any service to them.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 31 January issued an order handing over the probe into the affairs of Exalogic Solutions, the firm owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan , as well as Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Industrial( KSIDC) to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
A six-member team is authorised to probe the matter, with Deputy Director M Arun Prasad as the investigating officer.