“Raid at Pinarayi’s house was carried out without registering FIR…”: CPIM Keralam Secretary

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 28 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary MV Govindan on Thursday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the residence of former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) money laundering case were carried out without registering an FIR.
Addressing a press conference, Govindan said that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to destroy Vijayan, who is at the centre of the Left movement.
"We have no fear in criticising the BJP. It is the RSS leadership that controls the constitutional institutions in India. Amit Shah has said that Keralam is now their next target. The planned attack against the Left is part of that. The BJP's aim is to destroy Pinarayi Vijayan, who is the centre of the Left movement. The raid at Pinarayi's house was carried out without registering an FIR. The court had only directed that an investigation be conducted to determine whether an FIR should be filed. It was in the middle of that process that the ED came to Pinarayi's house with the raid," he said.
The statement comes as ED officials conducted searches at multiple premises linked to former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family across the State, in connection with the alleged CMRL money laundering case.
Earlier today, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders and workers held a protest in Chennai over the ED raids at Vijayan's house.
Speaking with ANI, CPI(M) Central Chennai District Secretary G Selva alleged an agenda against Communist parties. He accused the RSS and the BJP of allegedly using the autonomous agencies, such as the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), against opposition leaders.
Referring to an official press release, he said that the ED did not get any relevant information from Vijayan's linked premises.
"Actually, we strongly condemn the ED raid against our comrade Pinarayi Vijayan because the ED raid was used to implement the BJP-RSS agenda. We strongly condemn it. They conducted raids in 12 places, and in all 12 places, they didn't get even a single paper. Even the official press release on behalf of the ED said 'nil'--they didn't get any information from Pinarayi Vijayan's office or home. This clearly shows it is a political vendetta against Communist parties, particularly CPI(M)," he said.
The ED raids, which began early Wednesday morning, covered multiple locations in Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Ernakulam and Bengaluru. Officials said the searches were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent financial transactions and "fake expenses" flagged during earlier probes by multiple central agencies.
According to officials, one of the key allegations under scrutiny involves payments made to Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, a firm owned by Vijayan's daughter Veena, which allegedly received Rs 2.78 crore from CMRL under the guise of consultancy services. Investigators also said Empower India Capital Investment Private Limited allegedly extended loans of Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic despite defaults in repayment.
Officials further said the probe is also examining broader allegations of fictitious expenses amounting to Rs 182 crore and suspected diversion of funds through entities linked to the management of CMRL. Intelligence inputs also suggested that Veena was residing with her father at the Thiruvananthapuram premises when the ED team arrived for the search operation. (ANI)