India seeking consensus among G20 nations against fugitive economic offenders: MoS Jitendra Singh.

India is seeking consensus among G20 nations against fugitive economic offenders ahead of the G20 Ministerial meet and the final meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) in Kolkata on Saturday (August 12, 2023), Minister of State Jitendra Singh has said.

This is meant to ensure faster extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets, both domestically as well as abroad, the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said in an interview to DD News on Friday (August 11, 2023).

In the course of the interview, Singh recalled that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had presented a nine-point programme to take action against fugitive economic offenders during his address at the G20 Summit in Argentina. PM Modi highlighted the importance of cooperation in legal processes such as effective freezing of the proceeds of crime, early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime, he added.

The meeting in Kolkata from August 9-11, 2023 is the third and final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under India’s Presidency. Over 154 delegates from G20 Members, 10 invitee countries, and various international organizations are attending the meeting. It will be followed by the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting on August 12, 2023, which will be chaired by MoS Singh.

This will be the second ever Ministerial meeting of G20 ACWG and the first in-person ACWG Ministerial meeting. The deliberations at the level of Ministers will impart a further political impetus to combating corruption as ACWG plays a crucial role in leading international efforts to combat corruption.

Under India’s G20 presidency, ACWG has been able to achieve significant progress on anti-corruption cooperation regarding action against fugitive economic offenders and return of assets, guided by the Nine Point Agenda for Action Against Fugitive Economic Offences and Asset Recovery, presented by the Prime Minister Modi to G20 nations in 2018, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.

During the 1st and 2nd ACWG meetings held in Gurugram and Rishikesh respectively, India was able to forge a consensus in G20 to advance the international anti-corruption agenda by finalizing three outcome documents (High Level Principles) on important and sensitive issues, the ministry added.