How Long Can Smuggling Suspect Lai Changxing Hang on in Canada?

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 29, 2002

How Long Can Smuggling Suspect Lai Changxing Hang on in Canada?

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After the Vancouver Immigration and Refugee Court made the June 21 decision on rejecting the application for "refugee" status filed by Lai Changxing, the arch suspect involved in the exceptionally big smuggling case in Xiamen, southwest China, Lai's lawyer disclosed on the following day that when Lai was sent to the Vancouver Airport Detaining Center, an official with the Canadian Immigration Ministry took out an application form of Chinese passport for Lai Changxing to put on his signature. But Lai said he did not want to sign without prior consultation with his lawyer.

On June 25, the Canadian Royal Police called upon Lai Changxing, accusing him of manipulating the "money-washing" activity through an underground financial department. For Lai faced with criminal proceedings, it is really a tough going for him to hang on in Canada.

A Vancouver media report said Lai feared he would immediately be sent back to China after getting the "Chinese Passport". Local media believe that "the net of Heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through", the repatriation of Lai Changxing, as the arch suspect of the smuggling clique, to China is only a matter of time.

Lai Feels Dissatisfied with Canadian Verdict

At 9 am June 21, Hai and his lawyer received the court verdict in the federal government building. Prior to this, Lai had repeatedly indicated that he was full of confidence with the Canadian judicial system. But after the court announced rejecting his application for proving his capacity as a "refugee", Lai acted contrary to his usual way, complaining ceaselessly that "under the great pressure of the Chinese government, the Canadian government is compelled to reject his application for proving him and his families being "refugees". At a subsequent news briefing, when he answered reporters' questions, he appeared to be very dejected and nervous.

Later, he said to a group of reporters of Chinese origin, "I've always believed I'm clean. I'll appeal to a higher court and I'm sure I'll win." The court decision greatly disappointed him, he said this was "completely out of his expectations".

A local media report pointed out that what Lai had done gained no support and sympathy from the Chinese communities in Vancouver, most Chinese community members maintained that Lai had committed serious crimes in China, and so he is a fugitive to Canada in an attempt to escape legal sanctions. These communities expressed the hope that Lai could immediately be repatriated to China for trial.

After the news briefings, the Canadian Immigration Bureau immediately arrested Lai, he was first taken into custody in the airport detaining center and then to the Vancouver Detaining Center two hours later.

Old Habit of Extravagance Unchanged after Fleeing to Canada

It was on August 13, 1999 that Lai fled the country in panic to Canada after hearing words that he would be arrested, the next day, he and his wife as well as their three children, taking with them passports issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, arrived in Vancouver in the capacities as tourists. Sources said that on the basis of many telephone records, the Canadian police arrested Lai Changxing and his wife on November 23, 2000 in accordance with the locking target.

According to the four copies of banking report submitted by the Canadian side, Lai Changxing, his wife Zeng Mingna and their children all have banking accounts involving huge sums of cash deposits, in their personal account deposited in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Canada on September 14, 2002, the money involved came to US$1.58 million. Lai was frequently seen going in and out of the Canadian gambling house and the stake he put often amounted to hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars.

Before long, he found money in hands was getting less and less, disregarding everything, he telephoned his friends in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland demanding payments of debts. After Lai's arrival in Canada in 1999, he bought a plushy villa at a cost of 1.3 million Canadian dollars (one Canada dollar was equal to 5.25 yuan), later he sold at a loss the house at a price of 990,000 Canada dollar.

Therefore, sources said that Lai exposed his whereabouts in selling his house. Whatever the saying, in the years after they fled to Vancouver, Lai and his wife seemed to have been living an "affluent, comfortable and self-confident life", their three children aged from 14-18 have been studying in colleges in Vancouver, each of them have to pay tuition 6,5000 Canada dollars. But in the depth of Lai's heart, it is still in an unsettled state of mind, just like a well in which seven buckets are drawn up and eight dropped down.

Inviting Lawyer to Serve His Aim: Wishing to Be Political Refugee

After Lai's case was brought to light, Lai and his wife in July 2000 filed an application for "refugee" status to the Canadian government under the excuse of their fear of Chinese government persecution and for this they specially invited a famous local lawyer.

However, in view of the fact that the couple had committed non-political crimes that could give them punishment of 10-year imprisonment, a Canadian official with the Canadian Immigration Ministry informed the Immigration Bureau of this fact in November, which decided to interfere in their application for the "refugee" status, Canadian royal police arrested the couple on November 23 the same year upon the order of the Immigration Ministry.

According to Canadian judicial procedures, a series of hearings have to be conducted after the arrest of the applicant for "refugee" status. In the long process of subsequent hearings, a lawyer of the Canadian Immigration Ministry accused the couple of being the key members involved in the major Yuanhua smuggling case, and that their smuggling activities had disrupted China's economic order, and Lai's case was in nature completely different from the case of stowaways.

Huge amounts of materials have indicated that the conduct of the couple had done enormous harms to China's economy, they were not only the participants in the smuggling activities, but also key members in this major case, they should bear the responsibility for the crimes they had committed.

An official with the Immigration Bureau said that in the past Canada had repatriated some suspects to countries that practiced death punishment. For instance, in August 2000, Canada extradited a criminal who murdered people in China and had absconded for 14 years.

After making a comprehensive analysis, the Canadian judge ruled in Vancouver on December 5, 2000 that Lai Changxing and his wife Zeng Mingna, the arch suspects involved in the Yuanhua case of corruption and smuggle on the Chinese mainland would continue to be put in custody.

The written verdict announced by the judge said that according to the Lais' ability of economic activity, they could escape by falsifying certificates and other deceptive means. So if they were released at this time, they would undoubtedly seize the chance to run away.

Court Investigations Surge One after Another

The case of Lai Changxing is one that dragged on the longest time, had the most complicated details of the case, involved the widest area and cost the greatest amount of money in the Canadian history of refugee investigation.

In the marathon-type inquiry that proceeded for a whole day, Lai gave negative answers to all accusations, pieces of evidence, testimonies, etc. He tried by every possible means to deny his crimes and described himself as an innocent victim of political and power struggles in order to achieve his aim of applying for and getting the status of "refugee".

A representative of the Canadian Immigration Ministry said that Lai and his family filed an application for the status of "refugees" in 10 months after their arrival in Canada, and Lai did so only after contacting his friends and relatives at home and finding it impossible to escape his smuggling crimes. Therefore, Lai is not a "political refugee". At the hearing held on July 3, 2001, a representative of the Canadian Immigration Ministry pointed out that Lai's case did not tally with the definition of refugee as set in the United Nations Convention and he had not suffered any religious or political persecutions, he fled to Canada only after he had committed serious non-political crimes, such as smuggle, pretense, tax evasion and bribery in China.

Lai Changxing and "His Family All Lose"

After Lai and his family lost the lawsuit in the case of their application for the status of "refugees", mainstream media of Canada and various social circles all made reports on this. The Canadian Global Post pointed out that Chinese communities in Canada rarely showed sympathy for Lai's fate, many people clapped their hands for joy over this decision.

There was also the view that Lai's loss of the lawsuit gave a warning to those criminals who fled their homelands to other countries like North America and Australia: They must not be ruined by their "cleverness". It would be better for them to surrender themselves to the court at home as soon as possible rather than pine away their days with fear abroad, so as to get the lenient treatment of the government.

In the face of the ruling in which his application for the "refugee" status was rejected, Lai said while being covered by reporter, "This is a great disappointment to me, but I still have a ray of hope, we'll continue to appeal to a higher court. I tell my lawyer that I'll definitely appeal." Lai's lawyer also indicated that he would accept Lai's request and continue to plead for Lai. But at the same time the lawyer also admitted "they were not accepted as refugees, so Lai Changxing and his families had all lost.

By People's Daily Online

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