Now Reading: ED chief says asset recovery must return money to victims
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ED chief says asset recovery must return money to victims
Enforcement Directorate Director Rahul Navin said asset recovery should ultimately return money and property to victims or the public exchequer, not end with seizure or confiscation. He was speaking at the closing session of the 11th Annual General Meeting of the Asset Recovery Interagency Network, Asia Pacific (ARIN-AP) in New Delhi, held from 28 September to 1 October 2026 under India’s presidency.
Navin stressed that asset recovery is a continuous chain from tracing illicit wealth to securing confiscation, managing seized assets and ensuring their return. The meeting, themed ‘Closing the Loop: From Tracing to Return’, discussed challenges including cross-border asset tracing, cryptocurrency, and non-conviction-based confiscation. India shared its experience of restoring assets to victims under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The presidency of ARIN-AP was transferred to Singapore, which will lead the network in 2027. Navin noted that since April 2024, the ED has executed nearly 90 per cent of assistance requests received in full or in part.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources provide neutral, wire-style coverage of the ARIN-AP meeting, with no discernible slant. India Today offers a detailed account of the closing session, including Navin’s emphasis on restitution to victims and challenges like virtual assets and asset management. Nagaland Post, carrying a PTI report, focuses on the opening day, stressing India’s ‘speed of response’ and the 90 per cent execution rate for assistance requests. The two accounts are complementary rather than conflicting, together showing the full arc of the conference from opening to conclusion. The shared substance points to a coordinated official push to improve cross-border asset recovery, with India showcasing its own performance. The next step is Singapore’s assumption of the ARIN-AP presidency for 2027.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): indiatoday.in (neutral report), nagalandpost.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
