New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (May 27) conducted raids at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as part of an ongoing investigation pertaining to an alleged money-laundering case.The ED also searched the house of former Kerala public works and tourism minister Mohammed Riyaz in Kozhikode.The raids are related to an ongoing case wherein the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had filed a chargesheet against T. Veena, the daughter of ex-CM Vijayan. The latest raids are being conducted less than a month after Vijayan quit his office as the chief minister after the United Democratic Front (UDF) defeated the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the Kerala assembly elections.Last April, the SFIO had filed a chargesheet against Veena on charges that her IT company Exalogic Solutions Private Limited received “illegal payments” from Kochi based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL). The illegal payments were allegedly made from 2018-19 for three years, even though no services were provided.The allegations include that Exalogic entered into a contract with CMRL in 2017 for providing software and marketing services. Back in 2019, the Income Tax department had searched CMRL premises and later submitted a report.Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) general secretary M.A. Baby condemned the raid and said that such actions will not intimidate Vijayan or the CPI (M).“The CPI(M) denounces the ED raid on Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence. This is a targeted attack on a top opposition leader by the BJP government. Such actions will not intimidate Pinarayi Vijayan or the CPI(M). Is the UDF government complicit in this raid?” Baby wrote on X.CPI (M) MP John Brittas slammed the ED raids at the residence of Vijayan and termed it as an example of systematic misuse of central agencies to harass and target political opponents“Strongly condemn the brazen ED raids on senior leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. This is yet another example of the systematic misuse of central agencies to harass and target political opponents. Such vindictive actions expose the authoritarian mindset,” Brittas wrote on X on Wednesday.“Com Pinarayi n CPIM not be cowed down by these undemocratic tactics. CPIM fight back resolutely with the support of the people to defend democracy. It is clear that the Congress leadership actively encouraged the ED to target him, just as they did in the case of Arvind Kejriwal,” Brittas added.In January 2024, the Union government had ordered an SFIO probe into the allegations of financial irregularities involving Exalogic, CMRL and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), which had 13.4 % stake in CMRL. In March 2024 ED had filed a money laundering case.Earlier, Veena’s firm and KSIDC had separately moved the Karnataka high court seeking a stay on the probe by SFIO, which, however, was declined. Exalogic Solutions Private Limited is based in Bengaluru.The ED’s case is based on a complaint from Shone George, a member of the Kottayam district panchayat and son of senior politician P.C. George, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Earlier, Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan had also raised the issue, alleging corruption by Veena’s firm.Back in 2024, Vijayan had dismissed the case against his daughter’s firm as a “political witch hunt”.This is a developing story.