100-fugitive list suspect repatriated from US

Yang Jinjun, one of the most-wanted Chinese fugitives, was repatriated from the United States on Friday through the enhanced judicial cooperation between the two nations, according to the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Yang, 57, a native of Zhejiang province, was returned to China after 14 years on the run in the US. He is the first criminal suspect on a 100-fugitive list to be repatriated from the US.

Yang appears in Xinhua News Agency photos escorted by two Chinese police officers as he was being taken away from an airport in Fuzhou, Fujian province. He arrived on a business jet instead of commercial airliner, which is often used to send fugitives back to China.

China released a list of 100 economic fugitives in April as part of the nation's anti-corruption campaign, and Yang and his elder sister, Yang Xiuzhu, 69, are on the list.

Yang Xiuzhu, a former deputy mayor of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, fled China with her family when disciplinary inspectors began investigating corruption allegations against her in 2003. China Central Television previously reported that Yang Xiuzhu had used her authority to appropriate State funds to help her brother with his business.

She is now in US custody and awaiting extradition, according to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in New York.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday afternoon that Yang Jinjun's repatriation shows that other nations will cooperate in China's campaign to bring corruption-related fugitives to justice. He added that the Chinese government will spare no effort to catch corrupt officials regardless of how far they flee.

Yang's repatriation is an achievement in China-US anti-graft cooperation, and China will also expand such cooperation with other countries, he said.

According to Beijing Normal University law professor Huang Feng, who specializes in repatriation and extradition issues, Yang's repatriation is sign that the US will honor its promise to "deny fugitive corrupt Chinese officials a safe haven".

He said the move will serve as "as a good example for the two countries to strengthen judicial cooperation to bring more corrupt Chinese corrupt officials hiding in the US to justice."

In recent years, the US, Canada and Australia have become popular destinations for Chinese corrupt officials because of the lack of extradition treaties and disparities in legal systems, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Meanwhile, many Chinese corrupt officials have transferred large amounts of illegally obtained funds overseas through money laundering and underground banks.

Huang said the priority now is "for the two countries to enhance pragmatic judicial cooperation on intelligence sharing and investigations".

"It's more than necessary that China should offer solid evidence to US counterparts. They include proof of the fugitives' money laundering in China or fabrication of documents to unjustly apply for a US green card. This will force the US to take concrete steps to handle such cases," Huang said.

Contact the writers at zhangyan@chinadaily.com.cn and zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn