India for cooperation on economic offenders
India presented a nine-point agenda to G20 countries, calling for “strong and active cooperation” among them to comprehensively deal with fugitive economic offenders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the agenda in the second session of the G20 Summit on international trade, international financial and tax systems in the Argentine capital on Friday.
“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 should be enhanced and streamlined,” the agenda read.
India also called for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to fugitive economic offenders.
“Principles of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNOTC), especially related to ‘International Cooperation’, should be fully and effectively implemented,” it said.
India suggested that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should be called upon to assign priority and focus to establishing international cooperation that leads to timely and comprehensive exchange of information between the competent authorities and financial intelligence units.
“The FATF should be tasked with formulating a standard definition of fugitive economic offenders. The FATF should also develop a set of commonly agreed and standardised procedures related to identification, extradition and judicial proceedings for dealing with fugitive economic offenders to provide guidance and assistance to G20 countries, subject to their domestic law,” it said.
The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
India also advocated setting up a common platform for sharing experiences and best practices, including successful cases of extradition, gaps in existing systems of extradition and legal assistance. It said the G20 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.