Chinese Regime's "Most Wanted" Fugitive Arrested in Beijing
- 13 years ago
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One of the Chinese regime's most wanted men landed in Beijing on Saturday and was immediately arrested. Lai Changxing was accused of smuggling and became a fugitive in Canada. But it took 11 years for the Canadian courts to finally make the controversial decision to extradite him.
After an 11-year diplomatic struggle, the Chinese regime's most wanted man has been deported from Canada back to Beijing.
Lai Changxing is accused of masterminding a multi-billion dollar smuggling operation in China's southern city of Xiamen during the 1990s. Lai touched down in Beijing on Saturday, July 23rd and was immediately arrested.
Lai had fled to Canada with his family in 1999 and quickly launched an asylum plea. Although Canadian authorities did not approve Lai's asylum case they were reluctant to send him back because of the risk he would face the death penalty in China.
On July 21st, after the Chinese regime assured that Lai would not be executed or tortured, Canada's Federal Court approved his extradition. But the decision is controversial. Lai's brother and accountant both mysteriously died in prison and the Canadian court has not seen their autopsy reports.
Lai's lawyer, David Matas, told the judge: "You don't need to speculate about why they died or how they died to have that concern...When you're dealing with the Chinese prison system, everything that goes on in them is a state secret."
Matas believes Lai could die in the same way.
Lai's return could stir up divisions in the Chinese Communist Party before next year's hand over of power. When Lai was allegedly conducting his operation in Xiamen, Fujian Province, the province's top party boss was Jia Qinglin. Jia's reputation was tainted in the scandal, but he was never toppled. Jia is now the Communist Party's 4th most senior leader.
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One of the Chinese regime's most wanted men landed in Beijing on Saturday and was immediately arrested. Lai Changxing was accused of smuggling and became a fugitive in Canada. But it took 11 years for the Canadian courts to finally make the controversial decision to extradite him.
After an 11-year diplomatic struggle, the Chinese regime's most wanted man has been deported from Canada back to Beijing.
Lai Changxing is accused of masterminding a multi-billion dollar smuggling operation in China's southern city of Xiamen during the 1990s. Lai touched down in Beijing on Saturday, July 23rd and was immediately arrested.
Lai had fled to Canada with his family in 1999 and quickly launched an asylum plea. Although Canadian authorities did not approve Lai's asylum case they were reluctant to send him back because of the risk he would face the death penalty in China.
On July 21st, after the Chinese regime assured that Lai would not be executed or tortured, Canada's Federal Court approved his extradition. But the decision is controversial. Lai's brother and accountant both mysteriously died in prison and the Canadian court has not seen their autopsy reports.
Lai's lawyer, David Matas, told the judge: "You don't need to speculate about why they died or how they died to have that concern...When you're dealing with the Chinese prison system, everything that goes on in them is a state secret."
Matas believes Lai could die in the same way.
Lai's return could stir up divisions in the Chinese Communist Party before next year's hand over of power. When Lai was allegedly conducting his operation in Xiamen, Fujian Province, the province's top party boss was Jia Qinglin. Jia's reputation was tainted in the scandal, but he was never toppled. Jia is now the Communist Party's 4th most senior leader.