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ED Secures 124 Convictions in 56 PMLA Cases, Arrests 903 in 5 Years

Special Courts have delivered conviction orders in 56 out of 59 Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases on their merits, convicting 124 accused. During the same five-year period, the Enforcement Directorate arrested 903 persons and registered 4,377 Enforcement Case Information Reports. The agency filed charge sheets in 1,245 cases and supplementary charge sheets in 447 others before the Special PMLA Courts. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary also stated that closure reports were filed in 93 cases where no money laundering offence was established following a 2019 amendment.

Key Points: ED's PMLA Conviction Rate: 56 of 59 Cases, 903 Arrests

  • 124 convicted in 56 PMLA cases
  • 903 persons arrested under PMLA
  • 4,377 ECIRs recorded by ED
  • 93 closure reports filed post-amendment
2 min read

Conviction orders passed in 56 of 59 PMLA cases filed by ED: Minister

ED reports 124 convictions in 56 PMLA cases from 2021-2026, with 903 arrests and over 4,300 ECIRs filed, per Minister Pankaj Chaudhary.

"conviction orders have been passed in 56 cases, convicting 124 accused - Minister's Parliament Reply"

New Delhi, March 17

Special Courts for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases have delivered judgments on merits in connection with the issue of money laundering in 59 cases, of which conviction orders have been passed in 56 cases, convicting 124 accused in the cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate during the five-year period from April 1, 2021 to Feb 28, 2026.

There are a few cases where the accused have been acquitted or discharged due to acquittal or discharge in the predicate offence case or other reasons without considering the ED case, according to information tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday.

During this period, the ED has arrested 903 persons under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in written reply to a query in the Rajya Sabha.

The ED has also recorded 4,377 Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) under the provisions of PMLA, 2002.

During the same period, in 1,245 cases, charge sheets have been filed before the Special PMLA Courts praying for conviction of accused persons for money laundering offences and confiscation of proceeds of crime involved.

In these cases, 447 supplementary charge sheets have also been filed before the Special Courts dealing with PMLA cases, Minister Pankaj Chaudhary added.

After the amendment in PMLA with effect from August 1, 2019, a closure report is required to be filed by ED before the Special PMLA Court, in cases where no offence of money laundering is made out.

"Since then, the ED has filed closure report before the concerned Special Court in 93 cases where no offence of money laundering is made out due to various reasons such as closure of schedule offence case, cases where the predicate offence court finds no offence committed related to schedule offence defined under PMLA, quashing of predicate offence case, etc," the Minister added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see the system working. 56 out of 59 convictions is impressive. But the real question is about the high-profile cases we see in the news. When will we see convictions in those? The common man wants to see justice served equally.
R
Rohit P
903 arrests in 5 years is a huge number. It shows the scale of the problem. Hope the recovered money is being used for public welfare projects and not just sitting in some government account.
S
Sarah B
While the conviction rate is high, I'm concerned about the process. 4,377 ECIRs filed but only 59 cases have reached judgment? The timeline seems very slow. Justice delayed is justice denied for the victims of these crimes.
V
Vikram M
The fact that 93 cases were closed after proper investigation is also important. It means the ED is not just blindly pursuing everyone, but applying its mind. This brings some credibility to the process. 👍
M
Michael C
As an observer, these numbers are promising for India's financial governance. A robust anti-money laundering framework is crucial for attracting foreign investment and maintaining economic stability. The data suggests progress.

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