Beijing: China plans to sign extradition
treaties with number of countries to facilitate the
repatriation of 4,000 Chinese criminals holding on USD 50
billion illegally obtained funds.
The treaties will also help "promote cooperation with
other countries, Huang Huikang, director-general of the
Department of Treaty and Law at the Chinese Foreign Ministry,
said.
Huang said China is also in discussions with other
countries to establish international prisoner transfer
treaties, which would allow individuals who have committed
crimes and been sentenced by the other country to be
transferred to their home country.
"All the work has but one goal, which is no matter what
crimes they have committed and no matter where they have fled
to, we will bring them back," he told state run China Daily
today.
China has made some encouraging achievements in
repatriating criminals citing extradition of China`s most
wanted man, Lai Changxing, was finally repatriated from Canada
last year in June after being on the run for 12 years.
Lai who is accused of being the mastermind of a multi-
billion-dollar smuggling operation in China in the 1990s is
being tried in a court.
Huang said the country still has a long way to go in
repatriating criminals and recovering their illegally obtained
proceeds.
"Since China and the West - where criminals often seek
shelter - have differences in political ideology and legal
systems, cooperation has not often been smooth," Huang said.
According to the Central Commission for Discipline
Inspection of the Communist Party of China, about 4,000
officials have absconded from the Chinese mainland over the
last 30 years, along with more than USD 50 billion in
illegally obtained funds, the Daily reported.
China has so far signed the treaty with nine countries
for transfer of sentenced prisoners. They include Ukraine,
Russia, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan,
South Korea and Thailand.
PTI
