Beijing slams Stockholm for declining extradition

Beijing criticized Sweden's top court for declining extradition of Qiao Jianjun back to China to face trial for fraud and corruption charges on the pretext of his possibly facing the death penalty, torture or poor treatment in his homeland, the National Commission of Supervision, the top anti-corruption body, said on Tuesday.

The Swedish court issued a decision on Tuesday claiming Qiao might face an unfair trial and be subjected to persecution or treatment that would violate the European Convention on Human Rights. Therefore, it would not extradite the fugitive to China.

"Sweden's top court has ignored Qiao's crimes and the solid evidence collected by the investigation teams of China and Sweden. The extradition refusal openly challenges the law and tolerates crimes by offering shelter to suspects," said an official at the NCS, who asked not to be named.