Thiruvananthapuram: The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has recorded the statement of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan in connection with a case related to alleged illegal financial transactions in her IT firm Exalogic.
It has been reported that Veena appeared before the SFIO office in Chennai's Rajajisala last Wednesday and pronounced her statement to investigating officer Arun Prasad. Veena's husband and Kerala PWD and Tourism Minister Mohamed Riyas was also in Chennai on Wednesday. Veena and her husband returned to Thiruvananthapuram late Wednesday night.
The controversy erupted after a media report, quoting an Income Tax Department official, claimed that Veena's firm had received Rs 1.72 crore from mining company CMRL, in which the state-owned Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has a stake. However, Veena clarified that the payments were made for software services provided by her company to CMRL. The SFIO started probing this case in January 2024, sparking a major political controversy in Kerala as the opposition accused the Chief Minister and his family of corruption.