Good omen for 'Fox Hunt'

To bring back corrupt officials who have fled abroad, China must sign more extradition and asset-recovery pacts with other nations

The basic principle of modern justice, that illicit property shall be confiscated or returned to the victims, applies to not only domestic but also international laws. Chapter V of the United Nations Convention against Corruption contains the basic principles that signatory countries should abide by while taking legislative and other measures so that when another signatory party seeks assistance they can help it recover the assets it has lost because of corruption.

China has suffered heavily because of corrupt officials and criminal suspects who, according to a 2011 People's Bank of China report, have fled abroad with at least 800 billion yuan ($128.8 billion). "Fox Hunt 2014" has succeeded in bringing back only some of the corruption and criminal suspects who have fled abroad. Most of the corrupt officials are still at large and the wealth they have illegally amassed is far from being recovered.