India at G20: Modi unveils 9-point agenda to tackle economic offenders

BUENOS AIRES: Burnishing India’s credentials as a champion of a transparent international economic system at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a nine-point action plan to deal with fugitive economic offenders and proposed a joint G20 mechanism that denies safe havens to them. PM Modi presented the 9-point agenda at the second session of the G20 Summit on international trade, international financial and tax systems.“Common platform should be set up for sharing experiences and best practices including successful cases of extradition, gaps in existing systems of extradition and legal assistance,” he said. India’s 9-Point Agenda for Action Against Fugitive Economic Offences And Asset Recovery Strong and active cooperation across G-20 countries to deal comprehensively and efficiently with the menace fugitive economic offenders.Cooperation in the legal processes such as effective freezing of the proceeds of crime; early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime should be enhanced and streamlined. Joint effort by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to all fugitive economic offenders.Principles of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNOTC), especially related to “International Cooperation” should be fully and effectively implemented. FATF should be called upon to assign priority and focus to establishing international co-operation that leads to timely and comprehensive exchange of information between the competent authorities and FIUs.FATF should be tasked to formulate a standard definition of fugitive economic offenders. FATF should also develop a set of commonly agreed and standardized procedures related to identification, extradition and judicial proceedings for dealing with fugitive economic offenders to provide guidance and assistance to G-20 countries, subject to their domestic law. Common platform should be set up for sharing experiences and best practices including successful cases of extradition, gaps in existing systems of extradition and legal assistance, etc.G-20 Forum should consider initiating work on locating properties of economic offenders who have a tax debt in the country of their residence for its recovery.