16 December 2019
Philippine authorities arrested Xie Haojie (in picture above) in Manila on Sunday and handed over to the Chinese on Wednesday following a joint operation. Xie allegedly embezzled public funds and took bribes in his capacity as a general manager of a state-owned enterprise. Xie is wanted in China for economic crimes amounting to $210 million. Xie did not make any statement when was presented to the media in the Philippines. He has been hiding in the Philippines for nearly 10 months. He is currently detained at the Fugitive Search Unit of the Bureau of Immigration. He will be deported to China as soon as Chinese officials can arrange for his transport, the Bureau of Immigration said. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
This is the first time we hear of a fugitive fleeing to the Philippines. The fugitives prefer to go to the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. These countries give visas, permanent residence or citizenship for the fugitives who bring a load of money. These countries would not easily extradite fugitives.
Wang Junwen
In another development, Wang Junwen, a fugitive suspected of taking bribes who fled overseas in 2003, returned to China on Tuesday to hand himself over to the authorities, China’s top anti-corruption authority announced Wednesday. Before he fled, he was the general manager of Hainan Textile Industry Corporation, Secretary of the Party Group of the Provincial Economic Cooperation Department and chairman of Huahai Company. His voluntary return demonstrates Party Central Committee’s determination against economic crimes. It also shows that the free space for fugitives from economic crimes is shrinking as more and more countries come forward to assist China. South China Morning Post reported.
