Another ‘Sky Net’ success: US returns woman fugitive to face graft, fraud charges in China
Kuang Wanfang, the wife of a former Bank of China official, has been in hiding for 14 years and was jailed in the US on money laundering charges
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 24 September, 2015, 7:02pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 24 September, 2015, 7:04pm
Associated Press in Beijing
Chinese economic fugitive Kuang Wanfang is escorted by police officers at the Changle Airport in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
A Chinese woman who served a prison term in the United States for money laundering was returned to China on Thursday, authorities said, just ahead of a meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama.
Kuang Wanfang, who is wanted in a bribery investigation and is the wife of a former official of the state-owned Bank of China, was repatriated following cooperation with US law enforcement officials, China’s Supervision Ministry said.
Kuang is the second person to be sent back to China from the US since Beijing launched the “Sky Net” campaign in April to bring back people who have fled overseas after being accused of economic crimes.
The US lacks an extradition treaty with China and is wary that the country’s opaque court system may be unfair to defendants, so it has typically been cautious in turning Chinese nationals over to Beijing, making it a top destination for corrupt Chinese officials.
Beijing seeks to change that, and Washington has agreed to cooperate but also demands solid evidence against the accused.
Kuang Wanfang is handcuffed at the Fuzhou airport in Fujian province. She will face investigation by Guangdong police upon her return. Photo: Xinhua
Kuang is married to Xu Chaofan, who was involved in a US$485 million fraud case in Guangdong. She and another banker’s wife were convicted in 2009 by a federal jury in Las Vegas of helping launder the proceeds and violating immigration laws, including entering the country illegally and gaining US citizenship through fraud. The women each got eight years in prison.
Their husbands were also convicted, on charges of racketeering, money laundering and international transportation of stolen property and fraud. The men were jailed 25 years and 22 years respectively. The four lost their appeals in 2013.
Another man, Yu Zhendong, was repatriated to China in 2004 on condition he would not be tortured or given the death penalty, which can be applied in the country even for non-violent white-collar crimes. Yu was eventually slapped with 12 years in jail.
The supervision ministry said Kuang had been in hiding for 14 years and, upon her return, would face investigation by Guangdong police on graft and bribery charges. It is unclear if the other three would also be repatriated.
Last week, the US sent back businessman Yang Jinjun, who is suspected of graft and bribery. His sister, Yang Xiuzhu, has been detained in the US but is seeking political asylum. The woman, formerly a deputy mayor in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, is wanted in China for allegedly embezzling more than US$40 million.
