Chinese Prosecutors Repatriate 49 Suspects of Corruption in 2014

The fugitives were persuaded back or arrested from 17 countries and regions, including the US, Britain and Canada. Authorities called on all suspects of corruption-related crimes who are still on the run to make the right choice.

MOSCOW, January 19 (Sputnik) — Chinese prosecutors repatriated a total of 49 fugitives suspected of bribery and other corruption-related crimes in 2014, Xinhua news agency reports citing an official of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP).

The fugitives were persuaded back or arrested from 17 countries and regions, including the US, Britain and Canada, Xu Jinhui, SPP’s anti-bribery head, said at a press conference.

Some 16 cases involved more than one million yuan (about $161,000) and four involved more than ten million yuan, according to the official.

Three of the 49 fugitives were at large for more than a decade with one of them for 23 years.

A suspect, surnamed Zheng, was a deputy head of a department of the Harbin Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. In 1990, after embezzling 600,000 yuan he fled to Russia. Zheng was arrested on December 10, 2014, by the joint efforts of the SPP and public security department of Heilongjiang Province, Xu said.

According to the official, family members or significant contacts persuaded 36 suspects to come back.

The fugitive Zhang, was under investigation for bribery. She was persuaded to come back by her husband and returned 25 million yuan that had been transferred to the US.

The procuratorate official also called on all suspects of corruption-related crimes who are still on the run to make the right choice.

In October, the SPP launched a half-year campaign targeting fugitive suspects of corruption and other duty-related cases.

The fight against corruption is one of the top priorities of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The anti-corruption campaign has already affected various high-profile officials and businessmen across the country.