The Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED), Rahul Navin, today said that asset recovery is not an afterthought but the truest measure of enforcement success under the modern anti-corruption framework enshrined in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Mr Navin made these remarks while addressing the 12th Steering Committee Meeting of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network) in New Delhi.
Mr Navin described the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as India’s primary agency for anti-corruption investigation and prosecution. He further noted that the ED is mandated to trace, restrain, confiscate, and restitute proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He added that the ED has restituted assets worth approximately 5.6 billion US dollars, including in corruption cases, a significant portion achieved in just the past couple of years.
Addressing the event, Director of the CBI, Praveen Sood, emphasized that corruption today is transnational, sophisticated, and increasingly enabled by technology, making international cooperation not a matter of choice but an absolute necessity. He highlighted the CBI’s role as the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, underscoring the extensive international cooperation it facilitates.
Mr. Sood also noted that the GlobE Network’s Secure Communication Platform is a highly effective tool for encrypted, real-time information exchange among member authorities. He called upon all member agencies to actively engage with the CBI, share actionable intelligence, and fully utilize available cooperation mechanisms. He further reaffirmed India’s strong commitment to working with all members to make the GlobE Network a robust and effective pillar of global anti-corruption cooperation.
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. Operating under the framework of the UNCAC, the Network enables direct, practitioner-level cooperation among member agencies for the investigation, prosecution, and recovery of proceeds of corruption. The three-day meeting brings together the fifteen member nations of the Steering Committee to deliberate on the Network’s strategic direction, operational priorities, and evolving frameworks for international cooperation.
