The Enforcement Directorate has attached criminal proceeds of Rs 907 Cr. and arrested 3 people in crypto.
In cases involving money laundering through cryptocurrency exchanges, Parliament was informed on Monday, and relevant actions has been taken against the money laundering by crypto.
Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State for Finance, stated that Central GST officers discovered Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion worth 87.60 crore by 12 cryptocurrency exchanges. A total of 110.97 crore has been recovered, including interest and penalties.
According to the minister, additional investigation is underway in eight cases, while four cases have been concluded due to the payment of taxes, interest, and penalties.
Furthermore, in the instance of crypto exchange Zanmai Labs Pvt Ltd, also known as WazirX, assets worth 289.68 crore were taken from the exchange and its directors for violating the rules of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, according to Chaudhary.
In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister stated that the Directorate of Enforcement is looking into various cases involving crypto fraud, with a few crypto exchanges also being discovered to be involved in money laundering.
“As of December 14, 2022, proceeds of crime totaling Rs 907.48 crore had been attached/seized, three people had been arrested, and four prosecution complaints had been filed in these matters before the Special Court, PMLA,” Chaudhary added.
In India, crypto assets are still unregulated.
“Crypto assets are, by definition, borderless, necessitating international cooperation to prevent regulatory arbitrage. As a result, any law for regulation or prohibition may be effective only with major international collaboration on risk-benefit analysis and the establishment of a common taxonomy and standards “Chaudhary continued.
Furthermore, in the instance of cryptocurrency exchange Zanmai Labs Pvt Ltd, also known as WazirX, assets worth Rs 289.68 crore were taken from the exchange and its directors for violating the terms of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), Chaudhary explained.
