Najib Razak's bid for house arrest was rejected after a royal addendum was held constitutionally invalid.
A Malaysian court found a purported royal addendum to a Pardons Board decision invalid and not made in accordance with constitutional requirements, rejecting Najib Razak's bid to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest; Najib began serving a 12 year term in August 2022 after convictions for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering and intends to appeal.

AgustaWestland case: detention cannot exceed PMLA maximum; accused to be released if not required elsewhere.
The court applied the second proviso to Section 436A, concluding that an under trial accused charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act-whose offence carries a maximum sentence up to seven years-cannot be detained beyond the statutory maximum period; release in the ED money laundering matter was directed if the accused is not required in any other pending case.

Money laundering probe: questioning of Anil Ambani's son over alleged bank loan fraud and rising corporate credit exposure.
A regulatory probe into alleged bank loan fraud scrutinises rising corporate credit exposure to Reliance Group entities, the conversion of substantial investments into non-performing assets at certain group finance companies, and resultant losses to the bank; a senior group member has been questioned under prevention of money laundering provisions with statements recorded over consecutive days.

National Herald money laundering case: ED challenges trial court refusal to take cognisance, seeks stay to protect investigation.
The ED has appealed a trial court order refusing cognisance of its PMLA chargesheet in the National Herald case because the prosecution was not founded on an FIR, arguing the ruling creates impermissible classes of scheduled offences and effectively rewrites statutory definitions in the PMLA. The ED seeks an ex parte stay to protect ongoing investigation efforts and attached proceeds of crime worth Rs 752 crore, noting its ECIR dated June 30, 2021, and alleging conspiracy and money laundering involving named individuals and Young Indian.

National Herald money laundering case: ED challenges trial court refusal to take cognisance for lack of FIR.
The ED appeals a trial court order refusing cognisance of its PMLA prosecution complaint on the ground that money laundering prosecution requires an FIR for the underlying scheduled offence; the trial court found the ED's ECIR stemmed from a private complaint and therefore the complaint was not maintainable. The ED contends it lawfully recorded an ECIR and accuses the respondents and Young Indian of conspiracy and money laundering involving alleged fraudulent usurpation of AJL assets and property transfers worth about Rs 2,000 crore.

Illegal online betting endorsements linked to celebrity asset attachments under anti money laundering law and surrogate promotions.
The Enforcement Directorate issued a provisional attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of about Rs 7.93-8 crore in assets allegedly constituting proceeds of crime from an offshore illegal online betting operation; the agency alleges endorsement payments were routed through foreign intermediaries and layered transactions to conceal illicit origins, and warns that promoting such platforms, including via surrogate promotions, attracts legal penalties.

Money laundering probe targets alleged bank loan fraud involving Anil Ambani's family; son questioned under PMLA.
Statement of Jai Anmol Ambani was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a probe into alleged money laundering tied to an alleged bank loan fraud involving Yes Bank's escalating exposure to Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group companies; a substantial portion of those exposures reportedly turned non-performing and caused asserted losses to the bank, and senior group members have also been questioned in the related investigation.

Enforcement Directorate attaches Rs 80.03 crore in assets in a homebuyers' fraud money laundering probe linked to Ramprastha.
Enforcement Directorate issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to attach movable and immovable assets worth Rs 80.03 crore, finding that funds collected from over 2,000 homebuyers for multiple Gurugram projects were diverted to group companies instead of financing project completion.

Chinese-run gaming app charged under money laundering laws for allegedly generating Rs. 400 crore through fraudulent player transactions.
Allegations under the Prevention of Money Laundering framework concern a Chinese-operated online gaming app that allegedly generated Rs 400 crore through fraudulent player transactions, routed funds via recharge accounts, Binance crypto wallets and associated companies to conceal beneficial ownership, with prosecutions filed and assets attached.

Money laundering linked to 'dunki' illegal migration: ED seizes cash, silver and gold from a travel agent.
Enforcement officials seized cash, silver and gold from travel agent premises and recovered electronic communications and records while investigating alleged facilitation of illegal migration via the 'dunki' route. The agency alleges these assets are proceeds of crime generated by agents who cheated, extorted and used migrants' property documents as surety; the probe focuses on asset tracing, evidence collection and linking holdings to money laundering offences.

Valmiki scam: ED attaches Rs 8 crore assets of former minister in alleged money laundering through shell entities.
The Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached immovable properties valued at about Rs 8.07 crore as proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after finding remaining proceeds untraced or concealed; the attachment of equivalent value aims to prevent frustration of further PMLA proceedings. The action stems from an FIR alleging diversion of funds from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation into fake accounts and laundering through shell entities; a named former minister was arrested and later released on bail in connection with the probe.

Kingfisher Airlines funds of Rs 311.67 crore to be transferred for disbursement to former employees under PMLA restitution.
Rs 311.67 crore realised from sale of attached shares, previously restituted to a bank under Section 8(8) of PMLA, is to be transferred to the official liquidator for disbursement to former employees of Kingfisher Airlines pursuant to a tribunal order; the bank consented to use of the restituted asset pool and to the priority of workmen dues over secured creditors, with the Enforcement Directorate coordinating stakeholder engagement and facilitation.

UP YouTuber raided in money laundering probe over alleged illegal online betting and asset transfers to Dubai.
A money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act targets an Uttar Pradesh YouTuber for alleged promotion of illegal online betting and use of proceeds to invest in Dubai via hawala. Searches at nine premises yielded luxury vehicles and documents; investigators allege payments were routed through hawala operators, mule accounts and family/company bank accounts without legitimate commercial justification. The case originates from an FIR alleging cheating, forgery and illegal betting and identifies organisers operating betting panels via suspicious bank accounts and digital channels.

Chaitanya Baghel's plea challenges his ED arrest and PMLA provisions, urging restraint on further coercive steps.
A petition challenges Chaitanya Baghel's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged liquor scam and attacks the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, seeking restraint on further coercive steps and objectioning to open-ended warrants and repeated arrests.

Enforcement Directorate actions: court refused cognisance in National Herald, ED arrests in liquor scam reported.
A Delhi court refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering charge in the National Herald case, while the ED arrested a suspended state administrative officer in an alleged Chhattisgarh liquor scam; the Supreme Court directed consideration of closing or relocating nine toll plazas to address Delhi NCR air pollution and authorised coercive action against vehicles not meeting BS IV emission standards.

Liquor scam: former deputy secretary arrested in alleged Rs115 crore money laundering case; custody remand reported.
A central money laundering probe led to the arrest and custodial remand of a suspended deputy secretary alleged to have received approximately Rs 115 crore as proceeds of crime from an alleged liquor procurement syndicate active between 2019 and 2022; investigators allege the syndicate caused over Rs 2,500 crore loss to the exchequer and involved senior political figures and intermediaries managing large illicit cash flows.

National Herald case: court refusal to take cognisance sparks protests alleging ED misuse and demands for an inquiry.
A Delhi court's refusal to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering charges in the National Herald matter prompted Congress protests in Jharkhand alleging misuse of central investigative powers. Protesters assembled outside the state BJP headquarters demanding a public apology and cessation of partisan use of federal agencies. The BJP criticised the demonstration, challenged the protestors' account of the court ruling, and sought an inquiry into police facilitation of the protest, urging action against officers who allowed access despite barricades.

Congress protest against ED action over National Herald halted; legal dispute centers on cognisance requirements in money laundering inquiries.
A political party protested the Enforcement Directorate's investigative action in the National Herald matter; police halted the march with heavy deployment, barricading, and detained demonstrators. A court declined to take cognisance of the ED's charge sheet, finding a money laundering probe requires an underlying FIR for a scheduled offence; the ED may appeal and file a fresh charge sheet based on a newly registered police FIR. Key legal issues include requirements for cognisance in money laundering investigations and procedural options for the agency following dismissal of its charge sheet.

Congress protests demand apology after court refused cognisance of ED money laundering complaint.
The Congress held nationwide protests alleging misuse of investigative agencies after a trial court declined cognisance of an ED prosecution complaint alleging money laundering in the National Herald matter; party leaders demanded apology or resignation of senior ruling party figures and pledged continued street and parliamentary agitation. The order stated cognisance was impermissible in law but left investigative steps available to the ED, which may appeal the decision; the case remains described as pending in the High Court.

National Herald case: court found the money-laundering probe began from a private complaint, not an FIR.
The court concluded that the money-laundering probe in the National Herald matter originated from a private complaint rather than an FIR, and found that no offence of money laundering was made out on the available material, stressing the importance of the complaint/FIR distinction as a threshold for cognisance in financial investigations.