ED Targets To File 500 Chargesheets This Year, Complete Probe In 1-2 Years

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 22:02 IST

ED targets 500 chargesheets in money-laundering cases this fiscal, as discussed at the 34th QCZO in Guwahati chaired by Rahul Navin.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) aims to file 500 chargesheets in money-laundering cases during the current financial year, directing investigating officials to complete probes within one to two years, except for complex matters. This announcement came after the ED’s 34th Quarterly Conference of Zonal Officers (QCZO) in Guwahati, Assam, held from December 19-21 last year, chaired by ED Director Rahul Navin.

The ED has been conducting these quarterly conferences outside Delhi since last year, with previous editions in Kevadia (Gujarat) and Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir). The agency highlighted the strategic importance of hosting the conference in the northeastern region.

The meeting, the last before the fiscal year ends on March 31, emphasised achieving targets meaningfully, concluding investigations logically, filing prosecution complaints promptly, and ensuring that attachments and penalties are legally sustainable and effectively realised. Officials were urged to meet the target of 500 prosecution complaints and prepare for an increased target in the next fiscal year. The agency aims to conclude long-pending investigations and reduce the investigation cycle to one to two years, except for exceptionally complex cases.

ED officials were reminded to exercise their powers under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with caution, fairness, and accountability. They were advised to issue summons and statutory notices judiciously, based on necessity and proper application of mind.

The conference also addressed priority areas, including tracking illicit assets abroad, identifying trade channels misused for money laundering, preventing misuse of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), and prioritising digital-arrest and cyber-fraud cases. Officials were tasked with curbing illegal betting and online gaming platforms, monitoring money laundering through share-market manipulation, and remaining vigilant against foreign funding channels used for unlawful or anti-national activities.

The officers were encouraged to leverage mechanisms such as Interpol, including issuing “Purple" notices, which seek or provide information on criminals’ modus operandi and concealment methods.

The ED aims to complete the adjudication of all pending cases under the now-repealed Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) by March 31. The conference also discussed challenges related to delays, prosecution sanctions, police non-cooperation, limited manpower, logistical constraints in remote areas, lack of digitised land records, and valuation issues of volatile digital assets.

Officials were encouraged to use formal international cooperation channels, including Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) requests, letters rogatory, and extradition processes. Building direct professional relationships with foreign enforcement counterparts was highlighted as essential for facilitating quicker intelligence sharing and smoother transitions to formal requests, enhancing the ED’s effectiveness in handling cross-border money-laundering and asset-recovery cases.

Presentations from other central agencies such as the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) were also part of the conference.

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