BJP MP from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which investigates crimes related to money laundering, be shifted from its current parent Finance Ministry to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Mr Dubey said most of the cases registered under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) are for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or the Arms Act and others.

Under the present system, the ED cannot independently register a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and it has to mandatorily take cognizance of a case registered under other laws like the IPC, NDPS or the Passport Act among others. “The ED predominantly consists of officers from the Finance Ministry who do not have adequate expertise or training in matters pertaining to the IPC or other such laws,” Mr. Dubey said, adding that knowledge of such laws is an essential prerequisite to deal with PMLA matters.

“Given that majority of the scheduled offences are in the domain of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it is a natural corollary that the PMLA must be moved to the ministry and also the ED,” he said.

The MP said shifting the ED to the Home Ministry made more sense also because it is being headed by Amit Shah “who is decisive, pro-active and unbiased”.