Ahead of the top G20 Ministerial meet and the final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) at Kolkata tomorrow, India is seeking consensus among G20 nations against fugitive economic offenders, says Dr Jitendra Singh

Ahead of the top G20 Ministerial meet and the final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) at Kolkata tomorrow, India is seeking consensus among G20 nations against fugitive economic offenders to ensure faster extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets, both domestically as well as abroad.

This was stated here today by India’s Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in an exclusive interview to Doordarshan News before leaving for Kolkata. This is a G20 meeting making good headway for a consensual approach.

Dr 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. He 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.

The Minister from India said, “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 are 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 deployment of sophisticated technologies are also being explored to tackle the problem.

In response to a question, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that India had organized a unique event on exploring “G20’s perspective on synergizing gender sensitivity with anti-corruption strategies” on the sidelines of the second G20 ACWG meeting in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand in May this year. The event saw participation of high-level keynote speakers and governmental experts of G20 countries and international organizations.

Referring to a series of G20 meetings in various parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir, North-East, UTs and tourist hotspots, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it gave India opportunity to showcase not only its prowess in various sectors, but also demonstrated the varied culture and diversity of India, which Prime Minister Modi is trying to convert into a permanent asset.

The Minister said, it’s a proud moment for every Indian that India is hosting the G20 Summit and the credit for this goes to Prime Minister Modi. He said, after 26th May, 2014, when Shri Narendra Modi took charge at the Centre, India’s global stature is continuously on the ascending path. He also added that on Geo-Strategic matters, India’s views now matter and the whole world listens to our solemn advice on issues of global concerns.