The Union Cabinet has approved introduction of Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 in Parliament. The bill has been proposed by the Finance Ministry to curb practice of evading criminal prosecution by economic offenders and wilful defaulters who flee from country to evade clutches of Indain law by remaining outside jurisdiction of Indian Courts.

• Under the bill, the FEO has been defined as the person against whom warrant for arrest in relation to scheduled offence has been issued by any court in India, but he leaves or has left India to avoid criminal prosecution or refuse to return to India to face criminal prosecution.
• The onus has been kept on the authorities to prove that the person is a FEO.

The bill gives right to the government to confiscate property of such economic offenders in India and abroad. Its provision will also be applicable to proxy-owned properties and economic offenders. The bill establishes Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to declare a person as a FEO.