Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties — Legal Reforms

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
PMLA Amendment Act, 2012	2012	The Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Act, 2012, significantly expanded the scope of 'proceeds of crime' and enhanced the powers of the Enforcement Directorate. It also strengthened provisions related to international cooperation, making it easier for Indian authorities to seek and provide assistance under MLATs for money laundering investigations.	Facilitated more robust international cooperation in tracing, freezing, and confiscating assets linked to money laundering, directly impacting the effectiveness of MLATs in financial crime cases.
Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018	2018	While not an amendment to an existing MLAT-specific act, the FEOA itself is a new legislation that heavily relies on and interacts with MLATs. It empowers the government to declare an individual a 'fugitive economic offender' and confiscate their properties, including those abroad, which necessitates international cooperation via MLATs.	Provided a dedicated legal framework to tackle economic offenders fleeing India, making MLATs an indispensable tool for asset recovery and evidence gathering in such high-profile cases.