In a sweeping operation that has rattled the international NGO community, India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids at eight locations tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) and its affiliate, SEDF.
The investigation centers on alleged breaches of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Officials say the groups were involved in a complex scheme of channeling foreign money into India under the disguise of consultancy services and investment deals.
According to reports, Soros-backed entities may have funneled more than $3 billion to Indian NGOs, despite restrictions placed on overseas funding by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2016.
“They allegedly masked these inflows as foreign direct investment,” an ED official told local media, suggesting the organizations had been working for years to bypass government oversight and influence activities indirectly through donations.
