Starting with corruption... Lavish spending by Chinese tourists will take it's toll under Xi Jinping's massive crackdown on corruption. $$$ accumulated and stashed away over the years can be use for clean business ventures. If i were to include prostitution services and cheating cases, scams then postings is going to increase.
Revealed: Decade-long worldwide hunt for officials accused of embezzling 150m yuan
The two men, former bosses of a state-owned construction company, finally turned themselves in to Chinese officers in Cambodia as "fox hunt campaign" is stepped up
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 13 November, 2014, 4:11pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 13 November, 2014, 4:40pm
Stephen Chen [email protected]
Apec Secretariat Alan Bollard speaks about an initiative to set up an anti-corruption network between Apec members earlier this month. China’s graft busters want foreign help in their “fox hunt” for corrupt officials. Photo: AP
The decade-long worldwide hunt for two corrupt state officials who have now been returned to China has been revealed by mainland media.
The two men, the former president and general manager of a state-owned construction materials company in Taiyuan, Shanxi, finally turned themselves in to Chinese law enforcement in Cambodia.
The saga ended a convoluted “hide-and-seek” operation which had tracked down the men, according to Shanxi Evening News.
In July Beijing launched a massive campaign, dubbed the “fox hunt”, to go after former officials on the run overseas suspected of corruption.
The campaign unnverved the two Shanxi men who agreed to talk to provincial police on the phone in August.
The pair had initially fled the mainland for Hong Kong in 2004 after embezzling 150 million yuan.
At first things were smooth. The men smuggled nine million yuan and for two years travelled extensively around the world to throw police off their trail.
In 2006 they settled down in South Africa, buying a luxurious house with US$1 million and even established their own construction company.
But their luck eventually ran out when an armed gang burgled them, seizing most of their money and possessions.
The men, both over 50, moved to Singapore where they were contacted by Chinese police.
Shanxi officers said they negotiated with the men over what their likely punishment would be and how much money they would have to pay back.
However, because Singapore had no extradition agreement with China, the suspects travelled to Cambodia where they turned themselves into Chinese officers.
Shanxi police said 13 out of 25 suspected former corrupt officials from the province who had fled overseas have not been returned.
Huang Feng, international criminal law professor with Beijing Normal University, told Beijing News that if the officials agreed to return voluntarily it avoided diplomatic headaches, legal complications and financial cost.
While the US has extradition agreement with more than 100 countries, China has treaties with fewer than 40 – mostly developing countries, Huang said.
Some countries refused to deport corrupt suspects to China over concerns they will be executed.
Police said most senior former corrupt officials fled to developed countries such as the US, Canada and Australia for legal protection. Those with less money chose Latin America, Africa or Eastern Europe.
The men, both over 50, moved to Singapore where they were contacted by Chinese police.
Shanxi officers said they negotiated with the men over what their likely punishment would be and how much money they would have to pay back.
However, because Singapore had no extradition agreement with China, the suspects travelled to Cambodia where they turned themselves into Chinese officers.