Explained: What happens when ED attaches a property

Recently, the Enforcement Directorate or the ED was in the news for attaching properties of various Maharashtra leaders and their affiliates after recording provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in different cases. On March 22, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties belonging to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law Shridhar Patankar worth Rs 6.45 crore. It was for tainted Nawab Malik of the NCP next, to find his properties including a 147.79-acre agricultural land in Osmanabad to be attached by the ED under the recent money laundering case against him. Provision of the law on the attachment of properties The Enforcement Directorate has powers to provisionally attach a property as prescribed in Section 5 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and the property concerned is to be confiscated by the Government in terms of Section 9 of the PMLA.