China targets Aussie hideaways

Fugitive ends life on the lam

Police cooperate to help extradite Chinese fugitives

Australian police are to help seize assets of corrupt Chinese officials in an unprecedented joint operation, an Australia newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald website, Commander Bruce Hill, manager of the Australian Federal Police's (AFP) operations in Asia, said Australia will assist Chinese authorities in the extradition and seizure of assets of corrupt officials who have fled to Australia with illicit funds running into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Having agreed on a priority list of alleged Chinese economic fugitives to have taken residence in Australia, the joint operation will conduct its first forfeiture of assets within weeks, said the report.

Among suspects identified by the AFP are naturalized Australian citizens and permanent residents who have laundered money under the guise of being genuine investment or business migrants from China for years.