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Couple involved in large bank fraud extradited

By Tan Yingzi (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-22 10:18

The couple responsible for China's second biggest bank fraud was extradited from Thailand on Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.

Chen Manxiong, 48, and his wife, Chen Qiuyuan, 46, fled to Thailand after conspiring with two officials at the Bank of China's Guangdong Zhongshan branch to secure fraudulent loans totaling 420 million yuan ($50 million) between October 1993 and May 1995.

Their extradition is the first under a treaty between China and Thailand and is being seen as a milestone in exchange and cooperation between the two countries in the judicial field, Xinhua said.

Thai police arrested the couple in 2000, following a request from China. They were sent to prison on charges of illegal immigration and using fake passports.

The couple had been living in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, where they had purchased several properties.

To disguise their identities, they both had undergone plastic surgery.

The Chens were first extradited in 2002 and arrested on their arrival in China.

In 2005, Chen Manxiong was given a life sentence and his wife 14 years in jail by the Guangdong High People's Court.

In 2006, the couple was sent back to Thailand to complete their sentences there. Thai authorities agreed in August to the latest extradition.