ED filed 132 money laundering cases against politicians in last 6 years: Govt in Parliament

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered as many as 5,297 cases under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government has informed the Parliament. Of these, convictions have been obtained in 40 cases and acquittal in three since 2014, the government said.

Of the total cases, as many as 4,467 were registered in the last six years between 2019 and 2024 after the PMLA’s ambit was widened by the Union government through amendments, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament on August 6.

The response comes a day before a three-judge special bench of the Supreme Court will on August 7 hear petitions seeking a review of its July 27, 2022 ruling upholding the constitutional validity of the PMLA, as amended from time to time including provisions dealing with the powers of the ED regarding arrest, search, attachment and seizure in money laundering offences.

The ED has filed as many as 132 money laundering cases against political leaders over the last six years, the government said. These include cases against the sitting and former lawmakers (MPs and MLAs) and other political leaders.

Rai said in the reply that as many as 188 cases were registered under the PMLA in 2019, 708 in 2020, 1,166 in 2021, 1,074 in 2022, 934 in 2023 and 397 cases until July 31 in 2024.

The minister said as many as 195 cases were registered in 2014, 148 in 2015, 170 in 2016 and 171 cases in 2017.

The PMLA’s ambit was widened through amendments in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019. In 2009,criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code was added to the PMLA’s schedule among other offences. This has, over the years, allowed the ED to enter any case where a conspiracy is alleged, even if the principal offence is not part of the PMLA scedule.

Minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary shared similar figures related to the Enforcement Directorate filing enforcement case information reports (ECIRs), cases under trial and convictions as part of a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

He gave a breakup of ECIRs recorded under the PMLA against “existing and ex-MPs, MLAs, MLCs and political leaders or anyone affiliated with any political party” between January 1, 2019 to July 31 this year.

As per the reply, the ED filed 15 ECIRs or money laundering cases in 2019 followed by 28 in 2020, 26 in 2021, 34 in 2022, 26 in 2023 and three in 2024 (till July 31).

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and it was enacted in 2002 and implemented from July 1, 2005.

The minister also said that assets worth more than ₹1.39 lakh crore were either seized, frozen or attached under the law. “The total value of proceeds seized under PMLA is approximately ₹3,725.76 crore, frozen under PMLA is approximately ₹4,651.68 crore and attached under PMLA is approximately ₹1,31,375 crore,” the minister said.