Hunt for Corrupt Officials

Beijing Youth Daily June 8

An update on the possible whereabouts of Chinese fugitives wanted for corruption who have fled the Chinese mainland was released by the Fugitive Repatriation and Asset Recovery Office of the Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group on June 6.

Thirty-two of these 50 fugitives were among the 100 major fugitives wanted for corruption who were on the run abroad, according to the red notices issued by the International Criminal Police Organization in April 2015.

The move followed the disclosure of the whereabouts of 22 red notice fugitives last year, with six of them handing themselves into authorities on the Chinese mainland.

The office said the updated list was released to engage the public in finding fugitives still at large, and pledged to protect informers.

The ID cards and passport numbers of the fugitives, as well as the dates when they fled and the countries and regions where they might be hiding were all made public, including their residential addresses.

The move demonstrates China’s strong determination and relentless efforts to repatriate fugitives.

China has made remarkable progress in returning suspected corrupt officials who fled overseas through operations such as Fox Hunt and Skynet, as well as anti-corruption cooperation with other countries.

By the end of April, a total of 825 corrupt officials had been returned from more than 90 countries and regions under Operation Skynet which began in March 2015, with nearly 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) of illicit assets retrieved.

Corruption-related crimes are harmful to society, with tackling corruption having become an issue with broad international consensus. Corrupt officials who have fled overseas are advised to stop taking chances and surrender to justice in China.