China’s “Fox Hunt” Campaign Nets 180 Graft Criminals

Posted by on Oct 31, 2014 in Blog | 0 comments

Further to a post on Oct. 20 urging Canada to sign an extradition treaty with China to help apprehend and extradite corrupt officials and economic criminals back to China, here’s a Reuters report on the progress so far.  Note that at the APEC summit next month in Beijing, member countries will sign on to an agreement to fight corruption globally:

 

China says it has captured 180 people suspected of committing economic crimes as part of an aggressive anti-corruption campaign targeting suspects who have fled abroad, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The campaign, dubbed Operation Fox Hunt, included the arrests of 104 suspects, Xinhua said late on Thursday, citing China’s Ministry of Public Security. Seventy-six people returned to China to give themselves up, according to Xinhua.

The announcement came three months after the Chinese government launched the operation to hunt down officials and businessmen who have absconded, often taking their ill-gotten gains with them. The government has given no recent overall figure for the number at large around the world.

The Washington-based Global Financial Integrity Group, which analyses illicit financial flows, estimates that $1.08 trillion illegally flowed out of China from 2002 to 2011.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping campaign against graft since assuming power two years ago, but has been hampered to an extent by difficulty in getting corrupt officials and assets back from overseas.

China does not have extradition treaties with the United States, Canada and Australia – the three most popular destinations for suspected economic criminals. In mid-October, Australian media reported that Australian police have agreed to assist China in the extradition and seizure of assets of corrupt Chinese officials.

Xinhua said China has sent 20 teams to Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia and other neighboring countries, arresting 75 suspects.

On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi appealed for international cooperation to fight corruption. Next month, countries attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing will agree to a deal to tackle graft.