New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will expand its field structure to 50 PMLA Zones and five dedicated FEMA Zones from January 1, 2027, as part of its newly approved cadre restructuring, while setting a target to reduce the lifecycle of investigations from the current four to five years to around one-and-a-half years.

The 50 PMLA zones will handle cases related to money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the five dedicated FEMA Zones will focus on foreign exchange violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The restructuring will increase the Directorate's sanctioned strength from 2,029 to 3,256 posts, a rise of around 60 per cent, and expand the number of functional unit...