On Wednesday, the government appointed Rahul Navin, the acting chief of the Enforcement Directorate, as the full-time director of the anti-money laundering agency for a two-year term.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet confirmed Navin’s new role in a statement dated August 14. His appointment as Director of Enforcement will take effect from the date he assumes charge and will last for two years or until further notice.
According to the DoPT statement, “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Rahul Navin, IRS (IT:93074), Special Director, ED as Director of Enforcement in the Directorate of Enforcement for a period of two years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”
Navin, a 1993-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, is currently serving as the acting Director at the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Prior to this, the 57-year-old served as the Special Director of ED since November 2019 and took on the role of acting Director following Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s departure on September 15, 2023.
Mishra, who was initially appointed as ED Director in 2018 for a two-year term, had his tenure extended multiple times through procedural changes. He resigned in September 2023 following a Supreme Court-mandated deadline.
Navin is recognized as an expert in international taxation. During his acting tenure, he oversaw high-profile cases, including the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in separate money laundering investigations.
The Directorate of Enforcement is a multi-disciplinary agency responsible for investigating financial crimes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), as well as civil provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
