Enforcement Directorate's International Legal Assistance
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has significantly increased its international legal cooperation efforts through Mutual Legal Assistance Requests (MLARs) and Letters Rogatory (LRs).
MLARs and LRs Overview
- The ED has sent 353 MLARs to foreign jurisdictions.
- These requests aim to gather admissible evidence, trace money trails, and aid in extradition for cases involving fugitive economic offenders.
Top Jurisdictions for Requests
- United Arab Emirates: 69 requests
- Singapore: 55 requests
- United Kingdom: 39 requests
- Hong Kong: 36 requests
- United States: 26 requests
- Switzerland: 23 requests
Additional requests were made to other countries, including Mauritius, Australia, China, Isle of Man, and the British Virgin Islands.
International Cooperation and Requests Received
- The ED received 246 similar requests from foreign countries.
- Notably, 79 requests came from the UK, 33 from Singapore, and 32 from the US.
- Only 19 requests remained unexecuted by the ED.
Property Attachments Under PMLA
ED Director Rahul Navin highlighted the significant increase in property attachments under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA):
- From 2005 to 2014, total attachments were Rs 5,171.32 crore.
- From 2014 to 2024, the figure rose dramatically to Rs 1,19,386.25 crore.
- In 2024-25, properties worth Rs 30,036.41 crore were attached.
- In 2025-26, the figure increased to Rs 81,422.63 crore.
- The value of attachments in a single year now exceeds fifteen times the total in the first decade of the Act.
