Kochi: A major political controversy has erupted in Kerala following the recent surfacing of official documents confirming that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a summons to Vivek Kiran, the son of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in connection with the long-standing SNC-Lavalin corruption case.
The summons, dated for February 14, 2023, directed Vivek Kiran to appear before the ED’s Kochi Zonal Office as part of a probe into the case, which the central agency had registered in 2020. The ED sought to question him based on depositions that reportedly alleged financial transactions, including a claim that the Lavalin company had provided funds for his education in the UK.
Vivek Kiran, whose address was listed on the summons as ‘S/o Pinarayi Vijayan, Cliff House, TVM,’ reportedly did not comply with the directive to appear before the central agency.
The revelation of the official summons, and the subsequent lack of any discernible follow-up action from the ED, has intensified political attacks. Opposition parties have been quick to allege a compromise or “unholy nexus” between the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the central government’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), suggesting the Chief Minister’s family is receiving special political protection. The ED has so far maintained that the case remains active.
