New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) Vinodanand Jha, a 1983-batch retired IRS officer has been appointed as the chairperson of the PMLA Adjudicating Authority located in the national capital, an official order said. Jha has been serving as the Member (Finance and Accounts) in the Authority since September 2018. He was appointed to this post after he retired from service as the principal chief commissioner of Income Tax in Pune. An order issued by the Union Finance Ministry on January 20 said Jha’s appointment to the post of chairperson will be till the completion of his tenure on June 22 next year. The three-member Authority is mandated to adjudicate the cases of attachment of assets orders issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and order for its continuity and further confiscation or release, considering the merits of the investigation. The Authority is a mechanism provided under the PMLA to safeguard the interests of the accused against coercive action. The post of a full-time chairperson in the Authority has been vacant since September 2020. The posts of two other members in the panel, apart from the chairperson, too are vacant at present. PTI NES RAX RAX