Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) – 2018
- Iran is hosting the 6thedition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and Conclave of Chiefs.
- The IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008.
- The forum seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead.
- The inaugural edition of IONS was held in February 2008 at New Delhi.
- The IONS Charter of Business was agreed upon by the Conclave of Chiefs and brought into effect in February 2014.
- Under the IONS charter of business adopted in 2014, the forum has working groups on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Information Security and Interoperability (IS&I) and maritime security (anti-piracy).
- A relatively young forum, barely in its 10th year of existence, it has grown into a formidable organisation with 23 members and 09 observers.
- As the founder nation, India will also be conducting commemorative activities in November 2018 at Kochi, for celebrating its 10thAnniversary this year.
Members
- South Asian Littorals:Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory)
- West Asian Littorals:Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
- East African Littorals:France (Reunion), Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania.
- South East Asian and Australian Littorals:Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
Observers
- China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain.
Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018
- The President of India has given his assent to the Union Cabinet’s decision to promulgate the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018
- Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018 (“the Ordinance”) lays down the measures to empower Indian authorities to attach and confiscate proceeds of crime associated with economic offenders and the properties of the economic offenders.
- This will deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
The Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018, inter alia provides for–
- Making an application before the Special Court for a declaration that an individual is a fugitive economic offender;
- Attachment of the property of a fugitive economic offender and proceeds of crime;
- Issue of a notice by the Special Court to the individual alleged to be a fugitive economic offender;
- Confiscation of the property of an individual declared as a fugitive economic offender or even the proceeds of crime;
- Disentitlement of the fugitive economic offender from defending any civil claim; and
- Appointment of an Administrator to manage and dispose of the confiscated property under the Act.
Major impact:
- It is expected that a special forum to be created for expeditious confiscation of the proceeds of crime, in India or abroad,would coerce the fugitive to return to India to submit to the jurisdiction of Courts in India to face the law in respect of scheduled offences.
- Since the proposed law would utilise the existing infrastructure of the Special Courts constituted under under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 and the threshold of scheduled offence is high at Rs. 100 crores or more, no additional expenditure is expected on the enactment of the Bill.
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