Assets attached in money laundering cases rose 23-fold between 2005-14 and 2014-24.

• Money Laundering covers any process or activity connected with the proceeds of crime and is a process that typically follows three stages to finally release laundered funds into the legal financial system:

• Placement (i.e. moving the funds from direct association with the crime)
• Layering (i.e. disguising the trail to foil pursuit)
• Integration (i.e. making the money available to the criminal from what seem to be legitimate sources)

Other Key findings of Annual Report

• Performance under Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA): ED maintained a formidable conviction rate in money laundering cases is approx. 93–94%.
• Properties worth ₹2,178.34 crore have been confiscated under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act,2018.

Impediments faced by ED in completion of PMLA trials

• Requirement of prosecution sanction under Section 197 CrPC (now Section 218 BNSS).
• Limited geographical spread of Special Courts, which are predominantly located in metropolitan and Tier-I cities.
• Complexity of financial investigations which requires detailed forensic analysis that takes time to record and prove during trial.
• Requests to foreign jurisdictions face delays due to legal complexities and some countries’ reluctance or refusal to share information.