Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Accused of Acquiring Rs 3.28 Crore Illegally from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd

Putting further pressure on Pinarayi Vijayan, the legal opinion of Director General of Prosecution T Asaf Ali in the CMRL payoff case states that after analysing the facts and circumstances of the case shared by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), it has been “proved beyond doubt” that the former chief minister acquired financial resources amounting to Rs 3.28 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) through his daughter, Veena T, between March 4, 2017, and May 18, 2019, on the strength of a sham agreement. The amount was disproportionate to Pinarayi’s known sources of income, stated the opinion, a copy of which is with TNIE. It further stated that both Pinarayi and Veena were liable to be prosecuted under Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, as amended by the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 (Act 16 of 2018). “Since the period of crime falls prior to and after July 26, 2018, the date on which the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018, came into force, penal provisions applicable before and after the amendment may be suitably invoked,” it stated. The opinion stated that this is a case in which the receipt of bribe or illegal gratification by Veena for and on behalf of her father, the then CM, was established prima facie through strong oral, documentary and digital evidence, strengthened by the findings of the Interim Settlement Board. “In such circumstances, it shall be presumed, under Section 20 of the PC Act, that the bribe money was received by Veena illegally for and on behalf of her father,” it stated. According to the opinion, mere vague or ambiguous explanations are insufficient to rebut the presumption arising from the fact that Veena received Rs 3,28,01,000 from CMRL, an amount not legally due to her.