‘ED’s name taken with respect in country, international forums’: MoS Finance lauds agency’s work

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on Friday lauded the work done by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), stating that not only in the country but on international platforms the agency’s name is taken with utmost respect.

He said Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and other such forums have lauded the the financial investigation capabilities of India, adding that the ED has substantial contribution in this.

Advertisement

Chaudhary, who was addressing the ED officers and officials on the occasion of 70th ED day, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “strengthened” the ED, giving it more powers to free the nation from the problems like money laundering, financial frauds, but, not to target any entity, like certain people are alleging.

He appreciated the way the anti money laundering agency has successfully restituted assets and money worth thousands of crores to the victims of financial frauds, that include financial institutions, banks, investors, and alos the home buyers.
Calling the ED the country’s shield against financial crimes, Chaudhary said that it has lived up to the trust reposed in, and has evolved with time, setting new standards of efficiency.

The ED, that was founded on May 1, 1956, celebrated its 70th anniversary at Bharat Mandapam, where Director Rahul Navin during his address outlined the agency’s growing role in combating financial crimes, while safeguarding country’ economic system.
He said that in the digital age, the agency has adapted to emerging threats such as cryptocurrency fraud, cyber-enabled financial crimes, terror financing, and narcotics trafficking.

According to the ED Director, a few years ago, the enforcement work was centred predominantly on bank frauds, large corporate scams, and real estate frauds, and now with sustained action by investigative agencies, complemented by landmark government initiatives such as the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act, has brought about a visible decline in such offences.
Talking of the current challenges, Navin said the criminal landscape is defined by cryptocurrency fraud, cyber-enabled financial crimes, terror financing, anti-national activities, and narcotics trafficking.

He stated that the directorate has proactively adapted to this shift, while high priority has been accorded to narcotics-related investigations, adopting a targeted financial disruption strategy to trace illicit proceeds and dismantle drug networks at their financial roots.

“Our prompt and focused response in the Red Fort blast case is a testament to our sharpened vigilance on the money laundering dimensions of terrorism and espionage,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the event was also attended by Revenue Secretary Arvind Srivastava, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, and ED Special Director Manu Tentiwal, among others.
Highlighting the Directorate’s performance, Navin said 812 prosecution complaints were filed during the Financial Year 2025–26, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which was almost double the previous year’s numbers.

Navin noted that over 41 per cent of all prosecution complaints in the agency’s history have been filed in the last two years, while assets worth Rs 81,422 crore were attached during the financial year, marking a 170 per cent increase, with total attachments reaching Rs 2.36 lakh crore.

He shared that Rs 63,142 crore has been restituted to victims of financial crimes through provisions such as non-conviction-based confiscation.
Navin also highlighted a conviction rate of 94 per cent and expressed confidence that most of the more than 2,400 cases currently pending before courts will result in convictions.
Throwing light on fugitive offenders, he added that proceedings have been initiated against 54 individuals under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, with 21 declared fugitives and assets worth Rs 2,178 crore confiscated so far.

He also underlined administrative reforms within the agency, pointing at improved transparency with initiatives such as QR code-based summons verification and stronger internal oversight.