No hiding place overseas for fugitive officials

An unidentified fugitive returns from Indonesia to China in September. The judicial authorities are intensifying efforts to extradite fugitives so they can stand trial. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's anti-graft authorities have gone on the offensive in the fight against corrupt individuals who flee the country to avoid arrest, as Zhang Yan and Xin Dingding report.

The first person on a list of China's 100 most-wanted fugitives has been arrested after 14 years on the run overseas, according to the body charged with rooting out corruption.

Dai Xuemin, former manager of a State-owned trust and investment company in Shanghai, was detained in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, several days ago after recently entering the country on a foreign passport, said a statement issued by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The 57-year-old is now being held while further investigations are carried out. In August 2001, Dai fled the country and headed to the United States via South Korea after an arrest warrant was issued on charges of embezzling 11 million yuan ($1.8 million), the CCDI said.

Dai was named on a list of the 100 most-wanted corrupt officials that was published by Interpol on Wednesday. The 77 men and 23 women, most of whom are in the 40 to 60 age group, face corruption charges. The list, given to Interpol by the Chinese government, included the fugitives' photos, names, ID numbers and possible locations.

"Most, but not all, of the wanted people are corrupt officials, some have raised funds illegally, for example, but all 100 are accused of graft, including embezzlement, abuse of power, bribery and corruption," Fu Kui, director of the CCDI's International Cooperation Bureau, said.

Many of the fugitives traveled to the same destinations, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, to avoid punishment, he said.

The Ministry of Public Security said Interpol has also issued Red Notices, approximating to international arrest warrants, "requesting the relevant countries to assist in extraditing the fugitives back to face trial".

Gao Bo, deputy secretary-general of the China Anti-Corruption Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said a long-term lack of effective supervision allowed a large number of government officials to abuse their power and accept large bribes. However, many of them became uneasy and sought to transfer most of their ill-gotten assets overseas via illegal channels.

Zero tolerance

"Issuing such a list and asking Interpol to publish it shows that the government has adopted a 'zero tolerance' attitude toward capturing these corrupt officials, no matter where they are hiding," Gao said. "As long as the Chinese police can trace these people's footprints, they will be caught, irrespective of where they are."

Fu said that the move would help to "strengthen cooperation in law enforcement between China and relevant countries, and improve efficiency to extradite more corrupt officials and confiscate their ill-gotten funds".

In recent years, the US, Canada and Australia have become popular destinations for corrupt officials, who have transferred millions of yuan overseas through illegal money-laundering operations and underground banks.

The CCDI said the publication of the list and the issuance of the notices is part of Operation Sky Net, which started in early April and targets corrupt officials at large in foreign countries with the aim of confiscating misappropriated money and assets.

According to reports in Beijing News, a number of the suspects had made detailed preparations to flee the country, including Yang Xianghong, former Party chief of the Lucheng district of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.