Enforcement Directorate was established on 1 May 1956 with its headquarters in New Delhi.
- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a law enforcement agency of the Government of India that is responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government Of India.
The ED has been given the following roles and responsibilities:
- To enforce the provisions of the
- Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) 1973 (Now replaced by FEMA)
- Sponsoring Agencies under Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities 1974.
- Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999
- Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002
- Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018
- To investigate and prosecute cases of economic crime, including money laundering, black money, and hawala transactions.
- To identify and track down assets that have been acquired through illegal means.
- To freeze and seize assets that are suspected to be proceeds of crime.
- To collaborate with international law enforcement agencies to combat economic crime.
- The ED has a wide range of powers, including the power to search and seize property, the power to interrogate suspects, and the power to issue summons. The ED can also issue a Prevention of Money Laundering Order (PMLA Order) to freeze or seize assets that are suspected to be proceeds of crime.
- The ED has been successful in investigating and prosecuting a number of high-profile cases of economic crime. In recent years, the ED has also been involved in investigating cases related to the 2G spectrum scam, the coal mining scam, and the PNB scam.
- The ED is a critical law enforcement agency that plays a vital role in combating economic crime in India. The ED’s work helps to protect the Indian financial system from fraud and corruption, and it helps to ensure that the proceeds of crime are not used to finance further criminal activity.
Here are some of the specific functions of the ED:
- Conducting investigation into suspected contraventions of foreign exchange laws and regulations.
Adjudicating and imposing penalties on those adjudged to have contravened the law. - Enforcing the provisions of the PMLA by conducting investigation to trace the assets derived from proceeds of crime, to provisionally attach the property and to ensure prosecution of the offenders and confiscation of the property by the Special court.
- Collaborating with international law enforcement agencies to combat economic crime.