ED seeks Dubai evidence in P.A. Mohammed Riyas hawala case
Synopsis
The ED is now reaching across borders — seeking Dubai bank records through a formal Letter Rogatory — in the hawala case against former Kerala minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, son-in-law of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The overseas evidence hunt, separate from the CMRL-Exalogic payments probe also targeting Vijayan, signals the investigation has entered a new, transnational phase.
Key Takeaways
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is initiating a Letter Rogatory to seek bank evidence from Dubai in the alleged hawala case.
Former Kerala minister P.A.
Mohammed Riyas , son-in-law of ex-CM Pinarayi Vijayan , is the first accused in the hawala case.
Alleged hawala transactions reportedly occurred between July 2024 and July 2025 .
The hawala probe is separate from the CMRL-Exalogic payments case, in which Vijayan is the first accused and his daughter T.
Veena is the second accused.
Both the VACB (two FIRs) and the ED (two ECIRs) have registered parallel proceedings in the twin cases.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated formal steps to obtain evidence from Dubai in the alleged hawala transactions case in which Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) legislator and former Kerala minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas — son-in-law of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan — is named as the first accused. The move marks a significant escalation in the investigation into suspected financial dealings linked to the former Chief Minister's family.
The Letter Rogatory Process
The agency plans to issue a Letter Rogatory — a formal judicial request to seek evidence from a foreign jurisdiction — after securing permission from the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court. It will subsequently approach the Ministry of External Affairs to coordinate with the relevant authorities in Dubai. Through this process, investigators aim to obtain details of bank accounts allegedly used to route money through hawala channels.
What the Allegations Cover
According to the ED's allegations, Riyas, who served as Tourism and Public Works Minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government from 2021 to 2026, allegedly engaged in hawala transactions between July 2024 and July 2025, along with associates. The agency has already questioned three close aides of Riyas in connection with the probe.
The Twin Investigations
The hawala case is legally distinct from the CMRL-Exalogic monthly payment case, in which Vijayan is the first accused. That case concerns payments made by Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to Exalogic Solutions — a now-defunct IT company owned by Vijayan's daughter, T. Veena — allegedly without corresponding services being rendered. Veena is the second accused in both cases, while Riyas holds first-accused status in the hawala matter.
Notably, both the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) and the ED have registered parallel proceedings. The VACB has filed two FIRs, while the ED has recorded two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) — the agency's equivalent of case registration under money-laundering law.
What the Dubai Angle Means
The proposed evidence request will require active cooperation from the United Arab Emirates authorities. If obtained, the information could help investigators map the alleged overseas financial trail, identify the accounts involved, and establish the individuals who participated in the alleged transactions. This comes amid growing scrutiny of the financial dealings of prominent political families in Kerala, and signals that the ED probe is moving beyond domestic witnesses toward cross-border financial forensics.
How swiftly the UAE responds and whether the PMLA court grants permission for the Letter Rogatory will determine the pace of the investigation's next phase.
Point of View
Requiring multilateral cooperation that can take months or stall entirely. More significantly, the twin-case structure — hawala against Riyas, CMRL-Exalogic against Vijayan — effectively encircles the former Chief Minister's immediate family from two legal directions simultaneously. Whether the cases eventually converge in court, or stay procedurally siloed, will shape the political fallout in Kerala. The real test of this investigation's credibility will be whether actual charge-sheets follow the ECIRs, or whether the Dubai gambit remains an open-ended fishing expedition.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ED's hawala case against P.A. Mohammed Riyas?
The ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against former Kerala minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas over alleged hawala transactions conducted between July 2024 and July 2025. Riyas, a CPI-M legislator and son-in-law of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is named the first accused in the case.
Why is the ED seeking evidence from Dubai?
Investigators allege that money was routed through hawala channels involving bank accounts in Dubai. The ED is seeking a Letter Rogatory — a formal judicial request — to obtain those account details from UAE authorities, which would help map the alleged overseas financial trail.
What is a Letter Rogatory and how does it work?
A Letter Rogatory is a formal request from a court in one country to judicial or investigative authorities in another country for assistance in gathering evidence. In this case, the ED must first obtain PMLA court permission, then approach the Ministry of External Affairs, which coordinates with UAE authorities.
How is this case different from the CMRL-Exalogic case?
The hawala case names Riyas as first accused over alleged money transfers, while the CMRL-Exalogic case concerns payments by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd to Exalogic Solutions — a company owned by Vijayan's daughter T. Veena — allegedly without corresponding services. Vijayan is first accused and Veena is second accused in the CMRL-Exalogic matter; Veena is also second accused in the hawala case.
Who else is under investigation in these cases?
Apart from Riyas (first accused in the hawala case) and Vijayan (first accused in the CMRL-Exalogic case), T. Veena — Vijayan's daughter — is the second accused in both cases. Three close aides of Riyas have already been interrogated by the ED. Both the VACB and the ED have filed separate cases.
