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No 'safe haven' for corrupt officials

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2015-03-12 20:53:31

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China's judicial authorities pledged on Thursday to intensify the international manhunt for corrupt officials who have fled abroad in the hope of escaping justice. In a report delivered by Procurator-General Cao Jianming on the work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate last year, Cao said Chinese prosecutors seized 749 fleeing corrupt suspects from both home and abroad during 2014. Chief Justice Zhou Qiang also said the Supreme People's Court will actively participate in the repatriation of suspects and asset recovery. "Foreign countries must not become a 'safe haven’ for the corrupt to escape justice," he said.

"We should punish corrupt officials with zero tolerance. We should bring them to justice even if they flee to the farthest parts of the earth. We should never let them hide in the 'safe haven’ at large".

Xi Jinping (Chinese President)

Oct 9, 2014, via the 78th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee

"Anti-corruption has a long way to go, and fugitive repatriation and asset recovery will never slow down. China's foreign ministry will strengthen the communication and cooperation with countries worldwide and spread a wider and tighter snare of international anti-corruption so that the cunning foxes will have nowhere to go".

Wang Yi (Chinese Foreign Minister)

March 8 via the press conference for the second session of China's 12th National People's Congress (NPC) on China's foreign policies

"This year, we will establish a statistics and reports system of corrupt officials who have fled abroad. We will bring all of them to justice and we will never leave them at large".

Huang Shuxian (vice-secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection)

March 9, via chinanews.com

"Corruption and corrupt officials are 'enemies of the international community’, and there is no 'safe haven’ for corrupt officials in the world. Regardless of nationalities, social systems and races, corruption is a cancer of human society. It has been doing great harm to fairness, justice and the fruits of development of all countries and we should try our best to eliminate any form of corrupt practice".

People's Daily Nov 27, 2014, via People's Daily Online

"The anti-corruption campaign after the 18th CPC National Congress shows that whoever is involved in corruption will be put into investigation at any time and any place. Our nation insists on fighting every corrupt phenomenon and punishing every corrupt official. There is no special zone for corruption, no 'forbidden zone’ for anti-corruption and no 'safe haven’ for suspects. All these have been the new normal of strengthening Party discipline".

Qiushi Journal Feb 28, via qstheory.cn

"The way forward to a 'safe haven’ for economic fugitives is more and more narrow and difficult. The 'safe haven’ for corrupt officials is collapsing. Economic fugitives and corrupt officials attempt to flee abroad to avoid taking responsibility. They will be hunted eventually".

Hua Yiwen (expert on international problems)Feb 4, via People's Daily Overseas Edition

"Compared with domestic anti-corruption, fugitive repatriation and asset recovery is a hard nut to crack. However, the harder the crack, the more necessary we should conquer it, especially for those appalling corrupt officials with influence. Bringing them to justice will strike terror into the hearts of other corrupt officials".

Liu Jinchen (deputy director of Anti-corruption Research Center of China University of Mining and Technology)

Dec 31, 2014, via China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Newspaper

"It is good to express determination to fight corruption and uphold the attitude against corruption. However, we shouldn’t go too far. Is there really no 'safe haven’ for corrupt officials? Are so many fugitives and their family members living in the hell?"

@Zhang Rousang (Professor of China University of Political Science and Law)

Jan 28, via Sina Weibo

"By cracking down on tigers and flies and hunting the foxes overseas, we have made brilliant achievements in fugitive repatriation and asset recovery. We will take all the corrupt officials out of the 'safe haven’ and bring them to justice, and they will have no place to hide".

@Hu Chianglin 3222082444 Feb 26, via Sina Weibo

"Fugitive repatriation and asset recovery makes anti-corruption more powerful and will reduce the outflow of funds. It is really fantastic and we should have done it long before. My full support on it!"

A netizen on ifeng.com Mar 12, via ifeng.com