ED Filed 5892 PMLA Cases Since 2015; Only 15 Convictions in 10 Years: Finance Ministry Informs Rajya Sabha:

ED Filed 5892 PMLA Cases Since 2015; Only 15 Convictions in 10 Years: Finance Ministry Informs Rajya Sabha On July 29, 2025, the Ministry of Finance informed the Rajya Sabha that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken up a total of 5,892 disputes/cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, associated with the time period between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2025. Even though a great number of cases were investigated still among them only 15 individuals were found guilty during this period of 10 years. This information is being shared by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, in reply to a question asked by MP Shri Saket Gokhale. The MP wanted to know how many cases had no charge sheets, and how many among them were closed or withdrawn.

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On this, the Minister of State answered that the ED had filed 1,398 Prosecution Complaints in court, including 353 extra complaints. However, charges have only been framed in 300 cases. Meaning, many cases are still pending, and trials have not started. As of June 30, 2025, only eight court judgments led to convictions, with just 15 people found guilty. This is a very small number compared to the total cases. The Ministry also said that ED closed 49 cases during this time, submitting closure reports to the Special PMLA Courts to end those cases. These numbers may raise concerns about how properly the ED is using the PMLA law. The law is meant to tackle financial crimes, corruption, and big cases, but the low conviction rate could lead to questions about fairness and how the law is being used. This is one of the first detailed reports from the government showing how the PMLA has been enforced over the years.

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The annual report 2024-25 released by the ED Director, Rahul Navin, "In the early years of administering PMLA, most cases pertained to drug-related offences. Till March 2014, only 1,883 Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) had been registered, averaging fewer than 200 annually, and just 84 Prosecution Complaints (PCs) were filed, with assets under attachment only Rs 5,171.32 crore." Further said, "Between April 2014 and March 2024, there has been a significant scale-up in enforcement activity, with 5,113 PMLA investigations initiated, averaging 511 ECIRs annually, and 1,332 PCs filed. I am pleased to report that building on this momentum, in FY- 2024-25, 775 new PMLA investigations were launched, 333 PCs were filed, and notably, 34 individuals were convicted."