China intensifies information exchange on fugitive corrupt officials with Asian, European countries

Chinese prosecutors and its counterparts of other Asian countries and European countries vowed to intensify information exchange on corrupt officials at the ongoing ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting) Prosecutors-General Conference in Shenzhen.

Zhang Xuejun, Prosecutor-General of the People's Procuratorate of Guangdong Province, said China has repatriated some corrupt officials, who fled to other countries, under the assistance of relevant countries. But the cooperation with some destination countries of fugitive corrupt officials is not enough.

By the end of 2004, China had endorsed 71 judicial assistance agreements with 47 countries and signed bilateral repatriation conventions with 23 countries.

"However, China has no such agreements by now with major destination countries of fugitive corrupt officials such as the United States and Canada," said Zhang, noting that the information exchange between Chinese prosecutors and their counterparts in other countries are not smooth and Chinese police authorities have difficulties to conduct investigation and seek evidences in the countries the corrupt officials fled to.

Wang Zhenchuan, deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said Chinese prosecutors are trying to establish an efficient information exchange mechanism with border countries.

He also called on governments of other Asian countries and European countries to consider constructing an information exchange network for combating corruption.

Petros Clerides, attorney general of the Republic of Cyprus, said financial globalization makes international cooperation on fighting corruption more necessary and important. In his opinion, fugitive corrupt officials' financial records should be put as part of the important contents for the information exchange mechanism among Asian and European countries.

Peter Wilkitzki, director general of Federal Ministry of Justice of Germany, said the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption is an important foundation for every countries to launch cooperation on anti-corruption.

China's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), in October ratified the UN Convention on Anti-Corruption. Up to now, 33 countries have ratified the convention.

Zhang said that in a bid to implement the convention, governments of the countries which have ratified the convention should sign bilateral repatriation or judicial assistance agreements and information exchange mechanism.

Statistics released by China's Ministry of Public Security showed that at least more than 500 corrupt officials fled to foreign countries with more than 70 billion yuan of illicit money.

Only a small number of fugitive corrupt officials were repatriated, including Yu Zhendong, former director of Bank of China Kaiping branch who embezzled 483 million yuan and fled to the United States, and Chen Manxiong, former manager of a Guangdong-based state-owned enterprise who embezzled 710 million yuan together with his wife and fled to Thailand.

Source: Xinhua