The Enforcement Directorate’s conviction rate in the last five years has not crossed 5 per cent. Of the 911 cases filed under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), only 42 have resulted in conviction, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala said on Wednesday on the basis of Centre’s response to his question in parliament.

“Misuse of #ED & PMLA cases and the massive witch-hunt stands Exposed!,” Surjewala charged in his post on X, tagging a screenshot of a copy of the government’s written reply to his question in the Upper House.

“In the last 5 years, the ED’s conviction rate has not crossed five per cent. Out of 911 cases filed under PMLA, only 42 (4.6%) have resulted in convictions,” the Congress leader said.

Of the 911 cases, just 257 or 28 percent cases could go for trial in the last five years, while 654 or 71.7 per cent cases remained pending in the same period, he said on the data provided by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.

As per the breakup of figures shared, in 12 months of 2023, the ED filed maximum of 239 prosecution complaints followed by 206 in ten months of the current year. It was lowest in 2019 with ED filling 50 prosecution complaints while it went up to 106 the next year, 128 in 2021 and 182 in 2022.

Money laundering offences

As of December 4, 106 Special Courts are functioning under the PMLA for trial of money laundering offences.

“In the last 5 years under the NDA government, 911 cases were filed, while in the entire 10 years of the UPA government, only 102 cases were filed. This shows a wholesome misuse of ED!, “ he wrote in the thread of posts.

The government’s revelation came after the Supreme Court in August reprimanded the ED for low conviction rate in money laundering cases while hearing a bail application of a Chhattisgarh businessman in PMLA matter.

A three-judge bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan had observed that the ED should do scientific investigation to increase the conviction rate.

In an earlier session of Parliament held in August, the Centre had told the parliamentarians that out of 5,297 cases lodged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), convictions were secured in only 40 cases.