New Delhi: The Union government is mulling the idea of creating a new post of chief investigation officer of India (CIO) to whom will report the chiefs of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), The New Indian Express reported.Most likely, the current chief of ED, Sanjay Kumar Mishra, could be made the first CIO before he demits his existing office on September 15.The CIO would directly report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) much like the chief of defence staff (CDS) – a post which the Narendra Modi government created in 2019. The chiefs of three defence services report to the CDS.Citing sources in the government, the TNIE report said the idea behind the creation of the new role of CIO is “to bring better synergy between them [CBI and ED]”. While the ED primarily deals with financial fraud, including cases related to money laundering and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations, the CBI probes corruption cases. The “overlap” during investigations necessitates the creation of such a new institution, officials in the know of things said.Mishra who could possibly take over as the first CIO was recently allowed to continue in the post of ED chief until September 15 by the Supreme Court in the “larger public and national interest” while turning down the Centre’s plea to give him a third extension of one year. Mishra has presided over the ED since 2018. Mishra’s tenure at the ED has seen a surge in stringent enforcement against opposition politicians, earning both commendations from the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and criticism from the opposition.In May this year, the Supreme Court pulled up the Union government over its repeated extensions to Mishra. It wondered if any “one person can be so indispensable”. “Is there no other person in the organisation who can do his job? Can one person be so indispensable?” a Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai sought to know from the Centre.The Centre, in its response, had said that Mishra’s extension was necessitated to ensure continuity in leadership ahead of India’s peer review by the global terror financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, expected to be held this year. The Wire had already reported on how a country is judged on at least 40 parameters by the FATF and the Enforcement Directorate’s remit of money laundering and terror financing is just one of those 40.
