Lok Sabha Question No. 2821 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-21
Subject: Raids conducted by ED
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 2821

TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, THE 21 ST  MARCH, 2022

## Raids conducted by ED

2821.   SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Enforcement  Directorate  (ED)  has  conducted over 1700 raids and launched 1569 special investigations between 2011 and 2020;
- (b) Whether it is a fact that ED has been able to secure convictions in only nine of these cases;
- (c) Whether the number of raids conducted by both ED and IT department has risen exponentially from 2014 to 2022 as compared to 2004-2014.
- (d) The  comparative  year-wise  data  of  raids  conducted,  ECIR's  registered, special investigations launched, charge sheets filed and convictions secured, casewise and year-wise from 2004 to 2022; and
- (e) Whether the conviction rate of ED in raids conducted under FEMA is merely 0.5 percent between 2014 and 2022 and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

- (a) The  details  of  searches  conducted  and  investigations  initiated  by  the Directorate of Enforcement under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act,  2002  (PMLA)  and  Foreign  Exchange  Management  Act,  1999  (FEMA)  from 01.04.2011 to 31.03.2020 are as under:
- (b) & (e) As  on  28.02.2022,  Prosecution  Complaints  have  been  filed  in  943 cases  which  are  under  different  stages  of  trial.  As  on  15.03.2022,  Trial  Courts under PMLA has convicted 23 accused for the offence of money laundering and in only 01 case, accused were discharged on merit.

| Item                  | No. of searches   | No. of searches   | ECIR recorded under PMLA   | Investigation initiated under FEMA   |
|-----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|                       | PMLA              | FEMA              |                            |                                      |
| 1.4.2011 to 31.3.2020 | 1758              | 1027              | 1999                       | 18003                                |

(c) During 2004-14, 112 searches were carried out which resulted in attachment of proceeds of crime of Rs. 5346.16 crore and filing of 104 prosecution complaints.  During  2014-22,  2974  searches  were  conducted,  which  resulted  in attachment  of  Proceeds  of  Crime  of  Rs.  95,432.08  crore  and  filing  of  839 prosecution complaints. Searches in the course of investigation of  money laundering  cases  are  very  important  from  perspective  of  collection  of  evidence. Increase in number of searches show Government's commitment to prevent money laundering and improved systems for gathering financial intelligence through use of technology,  better  inter-agency  cooperation  and  exchange  of  information  both domestically and internationally, concerted efforts to complete pending investigations in old cases and investigations in complex money laundering cases that have multiple accused requiring multiple searches are some of the reasons for increase in number of searches.

- (d) Details of searches conducted, ECIRs recorded, Prosecution Complaints filed and convictions secured under PMLA are as under:

| Item                  |   No. of searches conducted |   No. of ECIRs recorded |   No. of Prosecution Complaints filed |   No. of persons convicted |
|-----------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------|----------------------------|
| 1.7.2005 to 28.2.2022 |                        3086 |                    4964 |                                   943 |                         23 |

* PMLA came into force w.e.f. 01.07.2005.

*********************