Keralam Advocate General Urges FIR in CMRL‑Exalogic Pay‑off Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sent a thick‑filed report to the Kerala police chief last week, alleging that former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, her husband P. A. Mohamed Riyas and a handful of others were involved in a money‑laundering scheme linked to the CMRL‑Exalogic pay‑off saga.

According to the dossier, the accused allegedly colluded with Sasidharan Kartha – the managing director of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) – and his business partners to channel illicit funds. The ED’s conclusion, it says, points squarely at money‑laundering activity that cannot be brushed aside.

Enter K. Jaju Babu, Kerala’s Advocate General. Sources say he has formally advised the state government to take the ED’s findings at face value and file a first‑information report (FIR) against everyone named in the document. He also recommended that the authorities invoke the Prevention of Corruption Act to give the case its full legal bite.

Legally, the police are on the hook to act. Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money‑Laundering Act, 2002, obliges them to register the FIR once a credible investigation report lands on their desk – a stance reinforced by recent Supreme Court pronouncements.

But the story isn’t over yet. The Advocate General is slated to meet Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan soon, where he will present a detailed brief compiled with inputs from the Additional Advocate General and the Director General of Prosecution. That meeting will decide the next procedural steps – whether the FIR will be filed immediately or if further inquiries are deemed necessary.

For now, the political fallout is already brewing. The names on the ED’s list include some of Kerala’s most prominent figures, and the recommendation to lodge a FIR could set the wheels of a high‑profile legal battle in motion.