CMRL-Exalogic case: ED diary documents rattle CPI(M) as Riyas hits back
Synopsis
On the closing day of CPI(M)'s internal review convention, ED allegations targeting Veena Vijayan's diary, a 16-member WhatsApp hawala group, and Dubai trips with former minister Riyas exploded into public view — forcing the party's leadership to confront a money-laundering controversy even as it tried to analyse its own electoral collapse.
Key Takeaways
The ED allegedly submitted a 25-page communication to the Kerala State Police Chief linking documents seized from T.
Veena 's residence to money laundering in the CMRL-Exalogic case .
A 16-member WhatsApp group including Riyas's staff and associates was allegedly used in hawala transactions; one contact was saved as 'Minister Riyas.' Veena Vijayan and P.A.
Mohammed Riyas allegedly travelled to Dubai in May 2024 to transfer money and set up a benami garment business.
Handwritten notes allegedly by Veena , seized in a 27 May raid in Thiruvananthapuram , were cited; the ED reportedly claims she acknowledged writing them.
Riyas rejected all claims as a 'scripted campaign,' saying the ED never asked Veena about hawala in three rounds of questioning.
The revelations landed on the concluding day of the CPI(M) 's state committee convention, compounding pressure on a party already reeling from an electoral defeat.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has allegedly submitted a 25-page communication to the Kerala State Police Chief, claiming that documents seized from the rented residence of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter T. Veena contain evidence of money laundering in the CMRL-Exalogic case. The revelations, which surfaced in the media on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, alleged that hawala channels were used to transfer money abroad — and landed squarely in the middle of a politically fraught CPI(M) convention in Kozhikode.
What the ED's Documents Allegedly Claim
According to media reports, the ED's communication alleges that Veena Vijayan and her husband, former Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, played a role in money transactions involving hawala networks. The agency reportedly identified a 16-member WhatsApp group — comprising Riyas's staff, friends, and associates — allegedly used in connection with these hawala transactions. One contact in the group was reportedly saved under the name 'Minister Riyas.'
Reports further allege that the ED suspects a Koduvally native listed in the group of involvement in hawala operations. It is also alleged that Veena and Riyas travelled together to Dubai, including in May 2024, reportedly as part of efforts to transfer money and establish a benami garment business in Veena's name.
Handwritten notes allegedly authored by Veena, seized during a 27 May raid at a Thiruvananthapuram residence where she had stayed with Pinarayi Vijayan, were also cited in reports. The ED reportedly claims that Veena acknowledged writing those notes.
The Political Moment: CPI(M) Convention Under a Cloud
The disclosures could hardly have come at a more sensitive time for the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The party's extended state committee meeting — convened primarily to examine its crushing electoral defeat and a dramatic loss of political ground — was in its concluding session when the reports broke. CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby and state Secretary M.V. Govindan walked to the convention venue on Tuesday morning maintaining complete silence when questioned by reporters about the fresh allegations.
The timing is notable: the ED revelations entered the news cycle on the very closing day of the party's internal review meeting, amplifying what was already a difficult moment for the Left leadership.
Riyas Strikes Back: 'National Award for Best Screenplay'
Former Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas launched a sharp counterattack, rejecting the reports as a 'deliberately scripted campaign' designed to tarnish his and his family's image. Questioning the manner of disclosure, Riyas said, 'If this is important evidence, would it be released in this manner?'
He dismissed as 'completely false propaganda' the claim that Veena had admitted the money involved was black money, stating that she had been questioned three times by the ED and was never asked a single question about hawala transactions. Riyas pointed directly to the timing of the disclosures, calling them a 'precisely written script' and saying those responsible deserved the 'National Award for Best Screenplay.' He added that he would fight the allegations legally and was not afraid.
Why It Matters: Riyas in the Party's Inner Circle
The political stakes extend beyond the immediate controversy. Riyas is a member of the CPI(M) state secretariat committee — the most powerful body within the Kerala party unit. His direct involvement in the controversy, at a moment when the party is already under pressure to account for its electoral debacle, makes it difficult for the leadership to ring-fence the issue. What the CPI(M) may have hoped to contain outside its poll-review deliberations has now become an unavoidable political flashpoint, with the ED allegations and Riyas's public counterattack ensuring sustained media scrutiny in the days ahead.
Point of View
And Riyas himself has made that the centrepiece of his defence. But pointing to timing does not rebut the substance of the allegations, and the CPI(M) has so far offered silence rather than a detailed counter-narrative. With Riyas sitting on the party's state secretariat, the leadership cannot simply treat this as an external legal matter: it is now an internal credibility question. For a party trying to explain an electoral collapse, a hawala controversy at the top of its organisational pyramid is exactly the kind of secondary crisis that makes primary problems harder to resolve.
NationPress
15 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CMRL-Exalogic case and what has the ED alleged?
The CMRL-Exalogic case involves Enforcement Directorate investigations into alleged financial irregularities. In the latest development, the ED reportedly submitted a 25-page communication to the Kerala State Police Chief alleging that documents seized from T. Veena's residence contain evidence of money laundering and that hawala channels were used to transfer money abroad, with former minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas also allegedly implicated.
What is the significance of the 16-member WhatsApp group mentioned in the ED documents?
According to reports, the ED alleges that a 16-member WhatsApp group comprising Riyas's staff, friends, and associates was used to coordinate hawala transactions. One contact in the group was reportedly saved under the name 'Minister Riyas,' which the agency has cited as evidence of his alleged involvement.
How has P.A. Mohammed Riyas responded to the allegations?
Riyas has strongly denied all allegations, calling the media reports a 'deliberately scripted campaign' timed to coincide with the CPI(M) convention. He stated that Veena was questioned three times by the ED and was never asked about hawala transactions, and dismissed claims that she admitted to dealing in black money as 'completely false propaganda.'
Why did the ED revelations cause particular embarrassment for CPI(M)?
The disclosures surfaced on the concluding day of the CPI(M)'s extended state committee meeting, which had been convened specifically to review the party's crushing electoral defeat. The timing compounded pressure on the leadership, and the fact that Riyas holds a seat on the powerful state secretariat committee makes the controversy an internal party matter, not just a legal one.
What has been alleged about Veena Vijayan's Dubai trips?
Reports citing the ED communication allege that Veena Vijayan and Riyas travelled together to Dubai, including in May 2024, allegedly to transfer money abroad and establish a benami garment business in Veena's name. The ED also reportedly seized handwritten notes it claims Veena acknowledged writing, from a Thiruvananthapuram residence raided on 27 May.
