The BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) is a dedicated cooperation track under BRICS — the grouping of major emerging economies whose founding members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, since joined by additional partner countries (often called BRICS+). The ACWG coordinates cooperation among member states on preventing and combating corruption.

Basic Details

  • Parent Framework: BRICS.

  • Established: Formally constituted under India's BRICS Presidency in 2026.

  • Nodal Agency (India): Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

  • Subsidiary Body: BRICS Expert Network on Asset Recovery, focused on cross-border recovery of the proceeds of corruption.

  • Legal Framework: Operates alongside the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), to which India and other BRICS members are parties.

Genesis

  • Rising Priority: Corruption and illicit financial flows across borders had become a growing concern within BRICS, particularly around tracing fugitive economic offenders and recovering laundered assets.

  • Launch: India set up the ACWG as a formal BRICS track during its 2026 Presidency, themed "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," with DoPT as the coordinating agency.

  • First Meeting: The inaugural ACWG meeting was held virtually on 2-3 June 2026, alongside the first meeting of focal points of the BRICS Expert Network on Asset Recovery.

Functions

  • Fugitive Tracing: Strengthens informal cooperation among member states to trace fugitive economic offenders and support extradition proceedings.

  • Asset Recovery: Enhances information-sharing on cross-border asset recovery through the Expert Network, including a shared directory of focal points and standardised templates for information exchange.

  • Emerging Risks: Addresses corruption risks arising from FinTech, digital assets and other new digital financial instruments.

Significance

  • Indian Leadership: Reflects India's role in shaping the BRICS cooperation agenda during its Presidency year.

  • Practical Cooperation: Builds a concrete framework for asset recovery and fugitive tracing among BRICS members, complementing domestic laws such as the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

  • Continuity Beyond 2026: Positions the ACWG as an institutionalised BRICS track meant to outlast India's rotating Presidency year.