A Kerala court on Saturday dismissed a plea seeking an inquiry against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena Vijayan, and others for alleged financial transactions between a private mineral company and her IT firm.
The Special Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha rejected the petition filed by social activist Gireesh Babu due to lack of evidence.
The petition aimed to investigate “illegal financial transactions falling under the scope of bribery” involving the accused individuals in relation to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL)’s mining and other business interests.
Apart from Veena , P Vijayan, and CMRL, the petition also named former leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, Indian Union Muslim League leaders P K Kunhalikutty and V K Ibrahimkunju, Veena’s IT firm, and others.
A controversy arose recently over financial transactions between CMRL and Chief Minister’s daughter Veena and her IT firm. The issue came to light after a Malayalam daily reported that CMRL had paid a total of Rs 1.72 crore to the CM’s daughter between 2017 and 2020.
The report indicated that CMRL had an agreement with Veena’s IT firm for consultancy and software support services. However, even though no services were provided by her firm, the payment was made on a monthly basis “due to her relationship with a prominent person,” the report stated.
