SFIO requests information from companies associated with daughter of Kerala CM’s firm

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has summoned about a dozen companies in Kerala to appear with all documents related to their dealings with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena Vijayan’s IT firm Exalogic on Friday at its Chennai office. Last month, the Karnataka High Court had refused to stay the probe.

The SFIO is acting on the findings of the preliminary probe into Exalogic conducted by the Registrar of Companies (ROC). The issue was first raised by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan after a media report quoted an Income Tax Settlement Board saying that Exalogic had received Rs 1.72 crore from the mining company CMRL, in which the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has a stake.

Veena Vijayan is the sole director of Exalogic, and the SFIO has already taken statements from CMRL and KSIDC officials. The companies have been asked to appear with business contracts, invoices, and documentary evidence of their business with Exalogic. The Kerala High Court urged KSIDC to cooperate with the investigation for credibility.

The Additional Solicitor General of India, Arwind Kamath, stated in Court that SFIO has the power to investigate and that the investigation will help KSIDC determine if CMRL conducted illegal transactions without their knowledge. With the Lok Sabha polls approaching, the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA are expected to intensify their focus on this issue.