The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018

(1) This Act may be called the Fugitive EconomicOffenders Act, 2018. (2) It extends to the whole of India. (3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 21st day of April, 2018.

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "Administrator" means an Administrator appointed under sub-section (1) of section 15; (b) "benami property" and 'benami transaction" shall have the same meanings as assigned tothem under clauses (8) and (9) respectively of section 2 of the Prohibition of Benami PropertyTransactions Act, 1988 (45 of 1988); (c) "contracting State" means any country or place outside India in respect of whicharrangements have been made by the Central Government with the Government of such countrythrough a treaty or otherwise; (d) "Deputy Director" means the Deputy Director appointed under sub-section (1) of section 49of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003); (e) "Director" means the Director appointed under sub-section (1) of section 49 of thePrevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003); (f) "fugitive economic offender" means any individual against whom a warrant for arrest inrelation to a Scheduled Offence has been issued by any Court in India, who (i) has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution; or (ii) being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution; (g) "key managerial personnel" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (51) ofsection 2 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013); (h) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette and the expression"notify" shall be construed accordingly; (i) "person" includes-- (i) an individual; (ii) a Hindu Undivided Family; (iii) a company; (iv) a trust; (v) a partnership; (vi) a limited liability partnership; (vii) an association of persons or a body of individuals, whether incorporated or not; (viii) every artificial juridical person not falling within any of the preceding sub-clauses; and (ix) any agency, office or branch owned or controlled by any of the above personsmentioned in the preceding sub-clauses; (j) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (k) "proceeds of crime" means any property derived or obtained, directly or indirectly, by anyperson as a result of criminal activity relating to a Scheduled Offence, or the value of any suchproperty, or where such property is taken or held outside the country, then the property equivalentin value held within the country or abroad; (l) "Schedule" means the Schedule appended to this Act; (m) "Scheduled Offence" means an offence specified in the Schedule, if the total valueinvolved in such offence or offences is one hundred crore rupees or more; (n) "Special Court" means a Court of Session designated as a Special Court undersub-section (1) of section 43 of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003). (2) The words and expressions used and not defined in this Act but defined in the Prevention ofMoney-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003) shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them inthat Act.

The provisions of this Act shall apply to any individual who is, orbecomes, a fugitive economic offender on or after the date of coming into force of this Act.

(1) Where the Director or any other officer not below the rank of Deputy Directorauthorised by the Director for the purposes of this section, has reason to believe (the reasons for suchbelief to be recorded in writing), on the basis of material in his possession, that any individual is afugitive economic offender, he may file an application in such form and manner as may be prescribedin the Special Court that such individual may be declared as a fugitive economic offender. (2) The application referred to in sub-section (1) shall contain–– (a) reasons for the belief that an individual is a fugitive economic offender; (b) any information available as to the whereabouts of the fugitive economic offender; (c) a list of properties or the value of such properties believed to be the proceeds of crime,including any such property outside India for which confiscation is sought; (d) a list of properties or benami properties owned by the individual in India or abroad forwhich confiscation is sought; and (e) a list of persons who may have an interest in any of the properties listed under clauses (c)and (d). (3) The Authorities appointed for the purposes of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002(15 of 2003) shall be the Authorities for the purposes of this Act.

(1) The Director or any other officer authorised by the Director, notbelow the rank of Deputy Director, may, with the permission of the Special Court, attach any propertymentioned in the application under section 4 by an order in writing in such manner as may beprescribed. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) or section 4, the Director or any otherofficer, not below the rank of Deputy Director, authorised by the Director, may, by an order inwriting, at any time prior to the filing of the application under section 4, attach any property–– (a) for which there is a reason to believe that the property is proceeds of crime, or is a propertyor benami property owned by an individual who is a fugitive economic offender; and (b) which is being or is likely to be dealt within a manner which may result in the propertybeing unavailable for confiscation: Provided that the Director or any other officer who provisionally attaches any property under thissub-section shall, within a period of thirty days from the date of such attachment, file an applicationunder section 4 before the Special Court. (3) The attachment of any property under this section shall continue for a period of one hundredand eighty days from the date of order of attachment or such other period as may be extended by theSpecial Court before the expiry of such period. (4) Nothing in this section shall prevent the person interested in the enjoyment of the immovableproperty attached under sub-section (1) from such enjoyment. Explanation.For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression "person interested", in relationto any immovable property includes all persons claiming or entitled to claim any interest in theproperty.