China wants ‘cash crooks’ extradited
CHINA is considering legal action against people suspected of economic crimes by fleeing to the US and elsewhere with billions of dollars. This would be an unusual step in a widening antigraft campaign, a senior official said this week.
Such action in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive would underscore the challenges China faces in seeking the return of reputed economic fugitives.
Xu Hong, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s department of treaty and law, said China tried to persuade the US to sign an extradition treaty, but Washington said it was “not ready”.
“So, in this case, we can only think of other methods,” Xu said
“One way is to repatriate the relevant suspects through the mechanism of illegal immigration, the other is to prosecute them in the US, so the suspects can be tried under US law.”
US-based Global Financial Integrity Group, which analyses illicit financial flows, estimates that $1.08-trillion left China illegally between 2002 and 2011.
China said earlier this month it had captured 288 fugitives sus- pected of committing economic crimes in its campaign — Operation Fox Hunt.
Xu said some judges in Western countries harboured “prejudice” about China’s legal system and were reluctant to return officials and executives suspected of corruption.
Western governments have baulked at setting up extradition deals with China because rights groups say torture is often used by Chinese legal authorities, and capital punishment is widely used in corruption cases.
China has extradition treaties with 39 countries but not the US or Canada — among the two most popular destinations for suspected economic fugitives.
Xu said the legal process for the repatriation is “cumbersome and lengthy”.
“So long as the person who has been asked to be repatriated can afford it, he or she can engage in endless litigation and repeated appeals,” he said.
The government would not enter agreements with corrupt suspects for their return to China, Xu said, although they would face lighter punishments in exchange for their surrender.
“We will work within the scope of the law.”—