The Enforcement Directorate has registered more than 5,100 money laundering cases over the last five years, with convictions secured in nearly 95 per cent of cases decided on merits, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Responding to a question by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said the ED recorded 5,158 cases for investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, between 2020-21 and December 2025.
The agency does not maintain state-wise data of cases.
The year-wise breakup shows the highest number of Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) were recorded in 2021-22 with 1,116 cases, followed by 996 cases in 2020-21. The numbers dipped to 698 in 2023-24, before rising again to 775 in 2024-25. In the current financial year -- till December 2025, 620 cases have been registered.
As of December 31, 2025, the ED has registered a total of 8,391 ECIRs since the inception of PMLA.
Prosecution complaints have been filed in 1,960 cases before special PMLA courts, seeking conviction and confiscation of the proceeds of crime.
The government said special courts have delivered judgments on merit in 58 money laundering cases so far, resulting in convictions in 55 cases -- 123 accused have been convicted. This translates into a conviction rate of 94.82 per cent in cases decided on merits.
In 2020-21, the ED has secured convictions in 43 cases, with 104 accused found guilty under PMLA provisions. The number of convictions has steadily increased over the years, with the highest number recorded in 2023-24.
Addressing concerns over delays, the minister said ED follows a multi-pronged approach before registering cases, based on risk assessment and information from multiple sources. Investigations are being fast-tracked through enhanced use of technology, including artificial intelligence, forensic tools, international databases and open-source intelligence, to improve efficiency and speed up complex financial crime probes.
