Foreign countries helping China catch corrupt officials who have fled overseas with their illicit gains can share up to 80% of their forfeited assets, said a criminal law expert.
As part of the “Operation Fox Hunt 2014” launched in July, 180 fugitives of economic crimes have been extradited or persuaded to return to China, according to the Public Security Ministry.
Sharing their forfeited assets with countries assisting the extradition is an international convention, said Huang Feng, head of the Institute for International Criminal Law at the Beijing Normal University.
A number of countries have implemented provisions with respect to asset recovery and the sharing of criminal proceeds and China is also trying to put such rules in place, Huang said.
Canada and France have agreed with China to share assets forfeited by fugitives. Australia said last month that it would help China seize and extradite assets of corrupt Chinese officials who have fled to the country.
China has signed extradition treaties with 38 countries, but not with Canada, Australia and the United States, the three “paradises” for Chinese fugitives.
China is seeking to establish an anti-corruption network at this month Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing to enhance regional anti-graft cooperation.
Sources: Global Times, China Daily, Want China Times, Beijing News (新京报), Wall Street Journal
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Hui Zhi is the Senior Manager for Content with the China Compliance Digest, where a version of this post first appeared.
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