ED restitutes $5.6 billion assets in corruption cases: Director

The Enforcement Directorate has facilitated restitution of assets worth about $5.6 billion to victims under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, said agency chief Rahul Navin at the 12^th Steering Committee meeting of Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network) on Monday (March 23, 2026).

The three-day meet began in Delhi on Monday, with India serving as the host. The opening session was also attended by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Praveen Sood, special directors of the two agencies, senior representatives of the GlobE Secretariat under the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and delegates from across the GlobE Network’s member nations.

Mr. Navin acknowledged the practical value of GlobE tools to Indian investigators, citing the assistance extended by Spain in a case where information shared through the Network led directly to the restraining of assets through formal channels. He also noted the utility of the Directory of Open Source Registries in accelerating the early stages of investigations.

Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Sood said international cooperation is no longer a matter of choice but an absolute necessity. He said the Network’s Secure Communication Platform was a highly effective tool for encrypted, real-time information exchange among member authorities, and called upon all member agencies to actively engage with the CBI, share actionable intelligence, and make full use of available cooperation mechanisms.

He highlighted the CBI’s role as the National Central Bureau for Interpol, stating that timely and coordinated action could make a decisive difference in ensuring offenders are brought to justice and illicit assets recovered. Mr. Sood reaffirmed India’s commitment to working with all members to make the GlobE Network a strong and effective pillar of global anti-corruption cooperation.

The 15 nations currently serving on the Steering Committee are India, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Grenada, Italy, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.

The GlobE Network is a global platform of specialised anti-corruption law enforcement authorities, established under the Riyadh Initiative during Saudi Arabia’s G20 Presidency. It operates under the framework of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Today, it comprises 135 member countries and 250 member authorities, along with 18 observers, including Europol, the World Bank, and the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities.

India joined the Network in 2022, with the CBI and the ED as its two designated member agencies. The country was elected to the 15-member Steering Committee in September 2024, said an ED release.