Fugitive extradited from Thailand as 63rd on list

Zhou Jinghua, a former businesswoman on China's list of 100 most-wanted fugitives, has been extradited to China from Thailand, thanks to the joint efforts of law enforcement and judicial authorities in both countries, China's top anti-corruption body said on Thursday.

Zhou was the 63rd individual on the list to be brought back, marking the return of all fugitives on the list who had fled to other Asian nations, according to the National Commission of Supervision.

This case has also shown China's firm determination and efforts to safeguard the interests of the people and uphold the dignity of law, the commission said.

Zhou, 55, who served as the deputy general manager of an investment company in Yunnan province, is suspected of corruption, the commission said. Interpol issued a red notice against her in September 2012, it noted. She had fled to Thailand more than 10 years ago.

Zhang Lei, a law professor at Beijing Normal University, said the return of all fugitives on the list who had fled to other Asian nations not only demonstrates China's resolute determination in the fight against corruption, but also means its efforts yield results.

"Zhou's case has sent a message to fugitives on the run, signaling that they will be relentlessly pursued no matter where they are," he added.

Previously, a significant number of the 100 most-wanted fugitives were repatriated to China or had voluntarily surrendered, with Zhou being the first individual on the list to be extradited to China. Zhang emphasized that these returns have shown the international recognition of China's development in the field of rule of law over the past decade.

In his view, the extradition of Zhou is a vivid example of the achievements made in China's "Sky Net" campaign. Launched in March 2015, the ongoing operation aims to track down fugitives, recover illicit assets and combat cross-border corruption.

Latest data provided by the commission shows that China has brought back more than 14,000 fugitives from more than 120 countries and regions as part of the campaign. Among them, around 3,000 were government officials, and authorities have recovered over 66.6 billion yuan ($9.3 billion) in illicit assets.

According to public information, the remaining 37 fugitives on the 100 most-wanted list are mainly scattered in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. China has not signed extradition treaties with these four countries, but cooperation can be conducted based on the United Nations Convention against Corruption and bilateral treaties on criminal judicial assistance.

Previously, China, along with these Western countries, jointly proposed the initiative of denying safe havens for corruption within relevant multilateral anti-corruption mechanisms.

Challenges remain

Yang Chao, an associate professor at Beijing Normal University Law School, said that challenges still persist.

According to Yang, in recent years, some countries have lowered the threshold for investment immigration, objectively providing a channel for suspects, accused of crimes such as corruption and fraud, to flee abroad and transfer assets.

"This not only poses obstacles to our country's pursuit of fugitives and recovery of illicit proceeds, but also easily breeds corruption in the destination countries of the fugitives," she said, calling for stronger supervision to guard against risks and hidden dangers in the process of investment immigration.