2 brought back from Laos to face trial over bribery

Two people suspected of bribery have been brought back to face trial after three months on the run in Laos, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Pang Shunxi, a former tax official from Tianjin, is suspected of accepting bribes, while An Huimin, former general manager of Hantong International Trade Ltd Co in Tianjin, has been accused of offering bribes, according to a statement released by the ministry.

They fled to Laos after prosecutors began investigating bribery allegations in December, the ministry said.

Earlier this year, law enforcement officers went to Laos to conduct an investigation with the assistance of Laos police. The two fugitives turned themselves in recently at the Chinese embassy in Laos.

In April, Chinese judicial authorities will launch a special mission code-named "Skynet" to track down Chinese corrupt officials who are at large overseas and confiscate their ill-gotten assets, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Meanwhile, the ministry will work closely with People's Bank of China to monitor the suspicious flow of funds remitted to foreign accounts, while enhancing efforts to combat money laundering and underground banks to prevent suspects from illegally transferring large amounts of funds abroad, according to the CCDI.

Moreover, it also will conduct thorough investigations of private passports of governmental officials at each level.

In recent years, a large number of Chinese corrupt officials have fled to the United States, Canada, Australia and other foreign destinations to avoid prosecution, transferring tens of millions of yuan through money laundering and underground banks.

According to authorities, as of January of last year, there were more than 150 Chinese corrupt officials still on the run in the United States alone, some of whom obtained permanent residence permits.

The planned "Skynet" action was also in response to a recently concluded key meeting of the CCDI in January. At that meeting, President Xi Jinping said that China will enhance judicial cooperation with other countries to hunt down fugitives and confiscate their ill-gotten funds.

Before the "Skynet" action, Chinese police also launched a half-year-long campaign, initiated in July, dubbed "Fox Hunt" to target economic suspects and seize their illegal proceeds.

Huang Feng, a law professor at Beijing Normal University, said that the major ways to launch an international effort to return suspected corrupt officials are asking a foreign country for extradition; repatriation of illegal immigrants; and persuading suspects to return to confess their crimes.

"Although China hasn't signed bilateral extradition treaties with some countries, such as the US and Canada, this won't hinder the progress of their judicial cooperation," Huang said. "They should further enhance pragmatic cooperation under the bilateral agreement for criminal judicial assistance and other reciprocal treaties."

zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn