Fight against corruption may be long, but not impossible to win: Dr Jitendra Singh at G20 meet
Under India's Presidency, the G20 ACWG made significant strides in strengthening law enforcement cooperation, information sharing, and asset recovery mechanisms. Dr Jitendra Singh urged G20 members to take concrete steps to enhance the effectiveness of extradition mechanisms and cross-border financial flow tracking.
FollowPersonnel and Administrative Reforms Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday reiterated the nation's resolute stance against corruption and emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. He also highlighted the 9-point agenda presented by PM Modi to the G20 in 2018, focused on fugitive economic offenders.
Dr Singh characterized the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial meeting as an opportunity to collectively demonstrate strong political will in leading the global fight against corruption. India's uncompromising stance on corruption extends to its approach to international cooperation in combating this issue.
The Kolkata ministerial event followed the final meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under India's Presidency, held from August 9 to August 11, 2023, in Kolkata.
Dr Singh acknowledged the efforts of the G20 ACWG members in updating guides related to asset recovery and mutual legal assistance. These updates enhance existing knowledge resources, and the Accountability Report on Mutual Legal Assistance holds significant potential in strengthening cooperation between countries to combat transnational crime.
Fugitive economic offenders pose challenges to national and international law enforcement, capitalizing on gaps between legal and financial systems to evade justice. Dr Singh emphasized that their actions undermine the rule of law, hamper economic development, and contribute to corruption.
Referring to PM Modi's 9-point agenda, Dr Singh highlighted the need for strong cooperation among G20 countries in denying safe havens to fugitive economic offenders. He also stressed the importance of international commitments, exchange of information, standardized procedures, and collaborative efforts in locating and recovering assets.
Dr Singh commended the G20 ACWG for its pivotal G20 Action paper on International Cooperation dealing with Economic Crime, Offenders, and Recovery of Stolen Assets published in 2020. This paper reaffirmed G20 countries' commitment to preventing safe havens and facilitating the return of fugitives and asset recovery.
Under India's Presidency, the G20 ACWG made significant strides in strengthening law enforcement cooperation, information sharing, and asset recovery mechanisms. Dr Singh urged G20 members to take concrete steps to implement these principles and enhance the effectiveness of extradition mechanisms and cross-border financial flow tracking.
He highlighted technology, transparency, and public participation as the foundation of anti-corruption efforts. He underscored that harnessing technology and fostering active citizen participation can counter corruption and promote good governance.
He welcomed the consensus on promoting integrity and transparency of specialized agencies, expecting it to enhance their capabilities. The preparation of a compendium of good practices on the role of auditing in fighting corruption was praised for its potential in improving governance, integrity, accountability, and transparency.
The minister emphasized that G20 ACWG's efforts since 2010 have led global initiatives against corruption and promoted transparency and accountability. He emphasized the potential of current discussions to contribute to a robust anti-corruption architecture, fostering fair and inclusive growth.
He highlighted the responsibility of the G20 as leaders of major economies to ensure continued momentum towards a corruption-free world. By implementing anti-corruption policies and enhancing international cooperation, global benchmarks for transparency and integrity can be established.
He acknowledged the fight against corruption may be long and arduous, but it is not impossible to win. Expressing confidence in the collective will and technology's power to combat it, the minister called for concerted, global action to transform this collective will into effective results, ultimately creating societies free from corruption's scourge.
