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China reveals details of overseas fugitives

By Liu Xin in Global Times, Apr 27, 2017 at 23:23hrs
China released Thursday detailed information about 22 corruption suspects who have fled overseas, including their possible current locations, a move experts said would deter these fugitives and help gain support from the international community on the nation’s anti-graft campaign.

The information on the fugitives includes the name, gender, ID card number, former title, suspected crime, date of arrival in the current country and travel document, according to a release from the office in charge of fugitive repatriation and asset recovery under the central anti-corruption coordination group.

The whereabouts are as specific as the streets where the fugitives are believed to be living, read the release. Most of the fugitives are living in the US, Canada and New Zealand.

“This is the first time for China to release such specific and detailed information on overseas fugitives. It will deter them and help Chinese authorities to get support from local residents living near these fugitives,” Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of the Research Center for Government Integrity Building at Peking University, told the Global Times.

Chinese authorities also hope to make fugitives turn themselves in voluntarily by releasing such a detailed list, Gan Chaoying, a law professor with Peking University, told the Global Times.

He noted that the release will make the lives of fugitives more difficult in foreign countries since they may be lonely and in panic after running away from China.

The Thursday release also said that close to 2,900 graft fugitives who had fled to more than 90 countries and regions have been returned to China by the end of March, including 40 corrupt officials listed in an Interpol “red notice” on China’s top 100 fugitives. Some 9 billion yuan ($1.31 billion) of illegal assets have also been recovered.

“As China is ramping up efforts on cracking down on corruption domestically and pursuing fugitives overseas, less corruption suspects may have the chance to flee the country,” Zhuang said.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of Communist Party of China released a report on its official website Tuesday, saying that a total of 19 fugitive suspects fled China last year, compared with 31 in 2015 and 101 in 2014.

The sharp decrease in numbers indicates that important progress has been achieved in the current stage to bring the fugitives back from overseas, said the report.

Gan said that more international cooperation is needed to support China’s hunt for fugitives, including negotiations on extradition treaties.

“Some countries which are reluctant to extradite suspects back to China may use the excuse of human rights. But all the excuses are lame now considering that no death penalty would be given to people who have committed economic crimes, except for severe fraud cases,” Gan said.

China has signed extradition treaties with 48 countries as of January, including France, Spain and Italy, according to Liu Jianchao, director of CCDI’s International Cooperation Bureau, the China News Service reported.http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1044520.shtml

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