Enforcement Directorate Marks 69th Foundation Day with Renewed Vow to Combat Economic Offences

New Delhi: The 69th Foundation Day of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) was commemorated today in New Delhi, in a ceremony presided over by Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary. The event brought together key government officials, ex-Directors of the ED, representatives from investigative agencies, international delegates, and senior officers from across India, reaffirming the ED’s pivotal role in safeguarding the country’s financial integrity.

Also present at the event were S.V. Raju, Additional Solicitor General; Rahul Navin, Director, ED; Subhash Aggarwal and Prashant Kumar, Special Directors, ED; and Naval Kishore Ram, Joint Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.

Addressing the gathering, Chaudhary underlined the central role of the Enforcement Directorate in realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an India where no economic offender can exploit the rights of ordinary citizens. “Prevention and justice go hand in hand. The Enforcement Directorate is crucial to both,” he emphasized.

Looking ahead, the Minister said that as India advances toward its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, the economy will evolve in complexity and scale—posing new challenges. “The vision of a developed India inherently includes the vision of a secure India. The contribution of the ED will be extremely important in an economically secure India,” Shri Chaudhary stated.

Rahul Navin, Director of ED, presented a comprehensive overview of the Directorate’s performance over the past decade, noting a sharp rise in enforcement activity between 2014 and 2024. Over this period, 5,113 new investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were initiated—averaging more than 500 cases annually.

In FY 2024–25 alone, the ED launched 775 new PMLA investigations and filed 333 prosecution complaints. These efforts resulted in 34 convictions and 461 provisional attachment orders totaling Rs. 30,036 crore—a 44% rise in the number of attachments and a 141% jump in value over the previous year. As of March 31, 2025, the total value of assets under provisional attachment reached Rs. 1.54 lakh crore.

Highlighting the agency’s success in asset recovery, Navin shared that courts approved restitution of Rs. 15,261 crore in 30 cases during the fiscal year, with expectations for further acceleration in FY 2025–26. He also noted that of the 47 cases decided so far under PMLA, 44 have resulted in convictions—reflecting a robust conviction rate of 93.6%.

Addressing emerging threats, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju warned of increasing use of cryptocurrencies and hawala networks for laundering money. He urged ED officials to remain vigilant and informed about evolving money laundering methods, while reiterating the legal tools available under the PMLA to counter such tactics.

To mark the occasion, Chaudhary released the Enforcement Directorate Annual Report for FY 2024–25, highlighting the agency’s achievements and strategic direction for the coming years.