Won’t get my blood so easily: Pinarayi Vijayan defends daughter in corruption case
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday dismissed the significance of the charge sheet naming his daughter, T Veena, stating that the matter was being used to target him politically and would be contested in court.
“It is a case and let it be decided in the court. Here the aim is me, so the party is well aware of it. We are not taking it very seriously. It is in the court, and let us see where it goes,” Vijayan said in the press conference, adding, “These are not things that are going to affect me. We will fight it in court. You guys need my blood and you are not going to get it so easily.”
The Chief Minister defended the financial transactions under scrutiny, insisting that all payments made to his daughter were legal and accounted for. “Is there anything new in it? She was paid for the services through the account and the Income Tax and Goods and Services Tax has been paid for the same. But you are not saying that,” he said.
Vijayan also contrasted the present case with the earlier investigation involving Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son of late former Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. “In the case of Bineesh Kodiyeri, there was no mention of late Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. But here the initial allegation was that she was the Chief Minister’s daughter,” he remarked, alleging a targeted political attack.
Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was arrested by ED on October 29, 2020, in a money laundering case linked to a drug seizure in Bengaluru.
The comments come after the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs gave its nod for prosecution proceedings against T Veena in a corporate fraud case involving Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL). The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), which submitted a charge sheet before the Special Court for Economic Offences in Kochi, has alleged that Veena and her firm, Exalogic Solutions, received Rs 2.73 crore from CMRL without providing IT services in return.
According to the SFIO, although a formal agreement was signed between the two firms, the payments were fraudulent and lacked justification. The case first emerged publicly in August 2023 when it was reported that Exalogic had received Rs 1.72 crore between 2017 and 2020 despite rendering no services. The SFIO investigation was ordered soon after.
In its 160-page complaint, the SFIO named Veena, CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, and 25 others as accused. Companies including Exalogic Solutions and its subsidiary, Empower India Capital Investments, were also listed. Veena has been charged under Section 447 of the Companies Act, 2013, which pertains to corporate fraud involving at least Rs 10 lakh or one per cent of a company’s turnover. The offence carries a maximum jail term of ten years and a fine up to three times the defrauded amount.
Opposition Leader VD Satheesan sharply criticised the government, stating, “The Serious Fraud Investigation Office’s inclusion of the Chief Minister’s daughter Veena Vijayan as an accused in the case is an extremely serious matter. The charge sheet confirms the allegation that she received remuneration without providing any service.”
