Chinese government officials who have embezzled state funds have new reason to worry. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), China's highest legal supervisory body, last week announced the start of a six-month campaign to bring them to justice, even if they have already fled the country.
The SPP said it will move to strengthen information sharing agreements with other countries and work with the foreign ministry to press other governments to help track and return fugitives.
Since China embarked on its economic reforms in the 1980s, thousands of government officials, including those tasked with privatizing state-owned corporations, are believed to have misappropriated billions in state funds. Many have absconded to countries such as the United States, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and Singapore.
A study prepared by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences suggests that as many as 20,000 officials fled China between 1995 and 2008 with over 800 billion yuan. "The authority of law must be resolutely upheld and crimes must be strongly cracked down on and deterred," the SPP said in a written statement.
The latest campaign is part of a broader anti-corruption drive by China's new president, Xi Jinping, who has promised to curb official graft and stiffen the rule of law. Xi has vowed to target corrupt officials at all levels, from the highest "tigers" to the lowliest "flies."
Authorities have netted several high-ranking officials since Xi became president, including Jiang Jiemin, who once headed the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and Zhou Yongkang, the country's former domestic security chief, who is also suspected of murdering his first wife in 2000. In March 2012 the powerful Communist Party Chief of Chongqing, Bo Xilai, was removed from his post and suspended from the politburo after allegations emerged that he and his wife had misappropriated public funds and transferred millions into offshore accounts. Bo's wife was also found guilty of murdering a British businessman.
In July the Ministry of Public Security launched its own campaign dubbed "Fox Hunt 2014," intended to "block the last route of retreat" to corrupt officials who believe they can avoid prosecution by leaving China. So far, the ministry says, it has repatriated 88 suspects accused of financial crimes, some through bilateral or multilateral extradition treaties, and some by means of "persuasion."
International observers, however, question how effectively China can petition other countries to extradite suspects as its legal system is not deemed by international standards to guarantee a fair trial. Moreover, many countries, including the U.S., have not signed extradition treaties with China.
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China Vows to Pursue Corrupt Officials Abroad
September 29, 2014
Chinese government officials who have embezzled state funds have new reason to worry. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), China's highest legal supervisory body, last week announced the start of a six-month campaign to bring them to justice, even if they have already fled the country.
The SPP said it will move to strengthen information sharing agreements with other countries and work with the foreign ministry to press other governments to help track and return fugitives.
Since China embarked on its economic reforms in the 1980s, thousands of government officials, including those tasked with privatizing state-owned corporations, are believed to have misappropriated billions in state funds. Many have absconded to countries such as the United States, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and Singapore.
A study prepared by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences suggests that as many as 20,000 officials fled China between 1995 and 2008 with over 800 billion yuan. "The authority of law must be resolutely upheld and crimes must be strongly cracked down on and deterred," the SPP said in a written statement.
The latest campaign is part of a broader anti-corruption drive by China's new president, Xi Jinping, who has promised to curb official graft and stiffen the rule of law. Xi has vowed to target corrupt officials at all levels, from the highest "tigers" to the lowliest "flies."
Authorities have netted several high-ranking officials since Xi became president, including Jiang Jiemin, who once headed the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and Zhou Yongkang, the country's former domestic security chief, who is also suspected of murdering his first wife in 2000. In March 2012 the powerful Communist Party Chief of Chongqing, Bo Xilai, was removed from his post and suspended from the politburo after allegations emerged that he and his wife had misappropriated public funds and transferred millions into offshore accounts. Bo's wife was also found guilty of murdering a British businessman.
In July the Ministry of Public Security launched its own campaign dubbed "Fox Hunt 2014," intended to "block the last route of retreat" to corrupt officials who believe they can avoid prosecution by leaving China. So far, the ministry says, it has repatriated 88 suspects accused of financial crimes, some through bilateral or multilateral extradition treaties, and some by means of "persuasion."
International observers, however, question how effectively China can petition other countries to extradite suspects as its legal system is not deemed by international standards to guarantee a fair trial. Moreover, many countries, including the U.S., have not signed extradition treaties with China.
