Society

Canada repatriates criminal suspect to China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-14 17:00

BEIJING: A Chinese man wanted in connection with a 20-million-yuan ($2.9 million) fraud case has been repatriated from Canada where he lived for seven years, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said in a statement Thursday.

Cui Zili is alleged to have worked with Deng Xinzhi and Chen Quanshan in a scam that ran from January to August 2002, by pretending to be an employee with the China Life Insurance Co., the country's biggest insurer.

The trio allegedly used fake seals and expired insurance papers and invoices to sign contracts worth 24.5 million yuan with the fifth research institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the Chinatex grains and oils import and export corporation.

Cui went to Canada in January 2003, and was finally returned to China by Canadian authorities on Wednesday, said the statement.

Deng Xinzhi was repatriated from Canada on August 22, 2008, for his role in the same alleged fraud. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Beijing No.1 Intermediate Court in June last year, according to chinacourt.org, a website affiliated to the Supreme People's Court of China.

Chen Quanshan was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2005, after he turned himself in in May 2004.

"The Chinese police attach great importance to international cooperation in seizing suspects in criminal cases," the MPS statement said.

Cui's repatriation showcased China and Canada's determination to uphold laws and safeguard justice, the MPS report said. The ministry hoped law enforcement departments of both countries could enhance cooperation.

In a joint statement issued in Beijing in December 2009, China and Canada pledged to strengthen cooperation on combating transnational crime and repatriating fugitives in accordance with their respective laws.

However, Canada still hosts a number of Chinese wanted in connection with economic crimes, including Lai Changxing, the lead suspect in China's most notorious alleged smuggling operation, which was valued at $10 billion.

Lai, now living in Vancouver, is accused of masterminding the country's largest smuggling ring. He went to Canada in 1999. China has been seeking his return to face charges of smuggling, bribery and tax evasion.