Thiruvananthapuram, October 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated steps to obtain evidence from Dubai in an alleged hawala transactions case in which CPI(M) legislator and former Kerala minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas is the first accused.
The move marks a new phase in the investigation into suspected financial transactions allegedly involving individuals linked to the family of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Riyas is Vijayan’s son-in-law.
The agency plans to issue a Letter Rogatory, a formal judicial request seeking evidence from another country, after obtaining permission from the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court. It will subsequently approach the Ministry of External Affairs to seek assistance from the relevant authorities in Dubai.
Through the proposed request, the ED aims to obtain details of bank accounts allegedly used to route money through hawala channels.
According to the agency’s allegations, Riyas, who served as Tourism and Public Works Minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government from 2021 to 2026, engaged in hawala transactions along with his friends between July 2024 and July 2025.
The ED has already questioned three close aides of Riyas as part of the investigation.
The hawala probe is separate from the CMRL-Exalogic monthly payment case, in which Vijayan is the first accused. That investigation concerns payments made by Kochi-based Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) to Exalogic Solutions, the now-defunct IT company owned by Vijayan’s daughter, T. Veena.
The alleged payments, reportedly made without corresponding services being rendered, are at the centre of the CMRL-Exalogic investigation.
Veena is the second accused in both cases, while Riyas is the first accused in the hawala case.
The two investigations have drawn attention as both the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) and the ED have registered separate cases. The VACB has registered two FIRs, while the ED has recorded two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs), which are used by the agency to register cases under the money-laundering law.
The proposed request for evidence from Dubai signals the ED’s efforts to trace the alleged overseas financial trail in the hawala case.
The process will require cooperation from the relevant authorities in the United Arab Emirates. Any information obtained could help investigators examine the suspected transactions and identify the bank accounts and individuals allegedly involved.
The allegations remain subject to investigation.
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