ED Recorded 94.82% Conviction Rate In Money Laundering Cases, Govt Tells Parliament

Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 15:21 IST

Of the 58 cases in which judgment has been passed, 55 saw conviction, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has recorded 5,158 cases for initiating investigation under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 since 2020-21. (File for representation)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recorded a conviction rate of 94.82% in cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the government told Parliament.

Of the 58 cases in which judgment has been passed, 55 saw conviction, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in Rajya Sabha in response to Samajwadi Party member Ramji Lal Suman’s question.

The convictions

“As on 31.12.2025, the Special Courts of PMLA have delivered judgments, on merits, on the issue of Money-Laundering in 58 cases, out of which conviction orders have been passed in 55 cases convicting 123 accused. Accordingly, the conviction rate, i.e., total number of cases in which accused have been convicted as a percentage of total cases decided on merits on the issue of money laundering is 55/58*100=94.82%. (c) ED has secured conviction in 43 cases since 2020-21, wherein 104 accused have been convicted under the provisions of PMLA, 2002. ED has secured convictions in 43 cases since 2020-21, wherein 104 accused have been convicted under the provisions of PMLA," he said.

5,158 cases since 2020-21

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has recorded 5,158 cases for initiating investigation under the provisions of PMLA, 2002, since 2020-21.

“As on 31.12.2025, ED has recorded 8391 Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the provisions of Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). In 1,960 cases, Prosecution Complaints (PC) have been filed before the Special Courts (PMLA) praying for conviction of accused persons for money laundering offences and confiscation of proceeds of crime involved. Further, after the amendment in PMLA by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2019 (No. 23 of 2019) through insertion of proviso to Section 44(1)(b) w. e. f. 01.08.2019, Closure Report is required to be filed by ED before the Special Court, PMLA, in cases where no offence of money-laundering is made out. Since then, 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," he said.

“Prior to the aforesaid amendment (i.e. before 01.08.2019), cases where no money-laundering offence was made out were closed with the prior approval of regional Special Director of Enforcement. As such, since the inception of PMLA i.e. 01.07.2005 up to 31.07.2019, 1185 cases were closed," he said.

ED’s approach

The Directorate of Enforcement follows a multi-pronged approach for registering a case based on money-laundering risks and threats and by examining information received through several sources.

After completion of investigation, a prosecution complaint is filed before the Special Court.

Efforts have been made to fast-track investigations and conclude cases efficiently through the enhanced use of technology which includes optimum use of national and international databases, forensic tools, artificial intelligence, OSINT techniques and digital resources to strengthen evidence collection, improve analytical capabilities and expedite complex financial crime investigations.

News india ED Recorded 94.82% Conviction Rate In Money Laundering Cases, Govt Tells Parliament

Read More