ED attached assets worth Rs. 1,54,594 crore in year 2024-25:

ED attached assets worth Rs. 1,54,594 crore in year 2024-25

Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary led the 69th Foundation Day event for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi today.

The event was attended by several important officials, including S.V. Raju (Additional Solicitor General), Rahul Navin (ED Director), Subhash Aggarwal and Prashant Kumar (Special Directors of ED), and Naval Kishore Ram (Joint Secretary, Department of Revenue). Former ED directors, officials from various investigative agencies, international delegates, and senior government officials were also present.

In his speech, Chaudhary said, "The vision of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is that no economic offender should be able to deprive the common and poor citizens of their rights, and prevention is essential for this as well as ensuring that the offender receives appropriate punishment. The role of the Enforcement Directorate is extremely important in both areas."

He added that as India moves toward becoming a developed nation by 2047, economic activities will become more complex, potentially leading to new types of economic crimes. He emphasized that ED will play a crucial role in the future.

"The vision of a developed India inherently includes the vision of a secure India. The contribution of the Enforcement Directorate will be extremely important in an economically secure India," the Minister added.

ED Director Navin highlighted the agency's increased activity from 2014 to 2024, with over 5,113 new investigations started under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In the 2024-25 financial year alone, the ED:

• Started 775 new PMLA investigations
• Filed 333 prosecution complaints
• Secured 34 convictions
• Issued 461 asset attachment orders worth Rs. 30,036 crore
• Increased the total value of attached assets to Rs. 1,54,594 crore

Navin also mentioned that with court approval, Rs. 15,261 crore was returned to victims in 30 cases during 2024-25, with more expected next year.

"The ED filed 333 prosecution complaints last year, taking the total cases under various stages of trial to 1,739 as of 31st March, 2025; and of the 47 cases decided so far, there have been only 3 acquittals, yielding a commendable conviction rate of 93.6%," Navin added.

S.V. Raju warned about the increasing use of cryptocurrency and hawala trading for money laundering and encouraged ED officers to stay updated on new money laundering methods.

Minister Chaudhary also released the ED's Annual Report for 2024-25 during the event.