ED pastes summons at Vijayan’s residence, seeks appearance on 23 October

• The ED pasted a summons outside Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence, directing him to appear for questioning on 23 October in the CMRL-linked money laundering case.

• CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty criticised the move, saying Vijayan was attending a party conference in Kannur and could have been served directly.

• Vijayan has approached the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court order directing the registration of a case.

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday pasted a summons outside the residence of former chief minister and Keralam Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, directing him to appear for questioning on 23 October in a money laundering investigation linked to Cochin Mineral and Rutile Limited (CMRL).

The summons was issued on Friday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after the agency registered a case following a recent FIR by the state police.

An ED official from Kochi visited Vijayan’s residence near Bakery Junction on Saturday and affixed the two-page notice near the entrance. Officials said Vijayan was away and that the step was taken to ensure he received the summons and appeared for questioning.

Senior CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty, who later visited the residence and spoke to staff, criticised the manner in which the notice was served. He said Vijayan was in Kannur for a party conference and was not evading the agency.

According to Sivankutty, Vijayan had travelled from Thiruvananthapuram to Alappuzha before proceeding to Kannur and was due to return after a two-day meeting. The notice could have been handed to him directly, he said.

Sivankutty said an ED official initially arrived alone in the morning but left after learning that Vijayan was absent. The official subsequently returned and asked staff to witness the notice being pasted, a request they declined, he claimed. Agency personnel then returned with police and affixed the summons, he added.

Questioning the need for this procedure, Sivankutty argued that pasting notices was generally associated with cases in which a person could not be traced. He described the treatment of a former chief minister and serving opposition leader as unjust and undemocratic.

He also contended that further action should await the Supreme Court’s decision, as the matter was before it. Asked whether Vijayan would appear for questioning, Sivankutty said the decision rested with him.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered two FIRs on 12 October against Vijayan and members of his family, including his daughter Veena T and son-in-law and former minister P A Mohamed Riyas, in connection with the alleged CMRL bribery case.

The FIRs followed an 9 October Kerala High Court order directing the bureau to register a case on the basis of a report the ED had submitted to the state police. The central agency sought the action citing material collected during its investigation and searches under the anti-money laundering law.

The ED has alleged that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Veena’s now-defunct company, Exalogic Solutions, through fraudulent transactions presented as payments for IT consultancy services. These claims remain allegations under investigation.

The agency had previously said searches linked to Veena yielded handwritten notes containing details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.

On Friday, Vijayan approached the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court order directing the registration of an FIR.

With PTI inputs