The Core has elevated 11 Enforcement Directorate cadre officers to the designation of collaborative overseer (CO) within the federal anti-money laundering organization. This marks the initial occasion where such a substantial number of cadre officers have ascended to the CO tier at once, a pivotal position concerning inquiries, as conveyed by authoritative insiders to PTI.

While cadre officers have previously assumed the CO role, it was limited to one or two placements only, according to sources. On Tuesday, the department of revenue, under the governance of the Union Finance Ministry, issued a decree for the advancement of 11 officers from the deputy director to the CO status.

The CO position stands as the forefront administrative role within the ED, tasked with overseeing investigations into money laundering and foreign exchange breaches. The bureau boasts over 30 CO designations, dispersed across 27 zonal offices nationwide. Presently, a mere trio of ED cadre officers hold the CO status, while the remainder are held by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers seconded to the organization.