India seeking consensus among G20 members for faster extradition of fugitive economic offenders

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India is seeking consensus among G20 nations against fugitive economic offenders to ensure their faster extradition and recovery of assets, both domestically as well as abroad.

This was stated here today by Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh, in an interview with public broadcaster Doordarshan News before leaving for Kolkata for the G20 Ministerial meet and the final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) to be held tomorrow.

The third and final meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under India’s Presidency is being held from August 9-11, 2023 in Kolkata. 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 tomorrow, which will be chaired by the minister.

Minister Jitendra 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 Buenos, Argentina.

Singh added that 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.

“Economic offences have been a problem faced by many, especially when the offenders flee from the jurisdiction of the country and all countries are on the same page as far extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets is concerned, but different laws of the member states pose a problem in this regard.”

He said a consensus is already in the offing for collective and joint action to deal with this menace and the deployment of sophisticated technologies was also being explored to tackle the problem.

Referring to a series of G20 meetings in various parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir, North-East, Union Territories and tourist hotspots, Jitendra Singh said, it gave India the opportunity to showcase not only its prowess in various sectors but also demonstrated the varied culture and diversity of India. (ANI)