Chinese police hunting international corruption targets were allowed into Australia by the federal police and subsequently escorted a woman back to China for trial, in a major breach of Chinese-Australian police protocols.
Chinese police hunting international corruption targets were allowed into Australia by the federal police and subsequently escorted a woman back to China for trial, in a major breach of Chinese-Australian police protocols.
The Chinese police were permitted to enter Australia in 2019 to talk with a 59-year-old Chinese-born Australian resident.
The woman was targeted under a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) anti-corruption drive called Operation Fox Hunt, which relies on police from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to make arrests.
Her case is one of 283 cases documented by an international NGO, Safeguard Defenders, in its recent report, Chasing Fox Hunt.
While Fox Hunt is described by the CCP as targeting "economic criminals", human rights groups have said it is also used to silence dissidents and abduct people around the world.
Traditionally, countries will have extradition agreements that facilitate arrest of criminals in flight.
Thanks to break down in relations between China and Western states, it has become increasingly common for Chinese embezzlers and con-artists to flee abroad with cash assets in hopes of evading arrest.
Of course, this works both ways with Australian felony suspects hiding in China to the same effect.
In 2017, the Turnbull government abruptly withdrew from parliament a proposed Chinese extradition treaty following significant backbench discontent.
Since then, the Australian government has resorted to various agreements with MPS and other Chinese security agencies as a means of cooperating with China on criminal matters.
So this becomes an end run for both countries to seek "voluntary" extradition, primarily by threatening potential accomplices and family property in the original country.
Yvette Wang, accused of being an accomplice of exiled and indicted Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, pleaded guilty in New York last week to defrauding many investors out of over $1 billion in "a complex scheme," prosecutors said.
Fraud in China has far worse consequences than fraud in Australia. Even if I were to be arrested, I'd prefer it to happen in Australia where I can get off with a slap on the wrist.
Can't speak for Australians, but as a Canadian who expects that the same could happen here - why the fuck are our governments so apathetic about this shit?.
Stand up for the people trusting you. Be MAD. Stop doing it if you're also doing it.
I can't see how anyone involved with allowing this isn't complicit.
What possible reason did the police of a foreign nation need to be physically there for, other than physically removing someone?
Ms Wang's whereabouts are unknown. She may still be in China or she may have faced trial and since returned to Australia, as have some of the 16 Australian-based Fox Hunt targets who returned to China since 2014 to face trials there.
It looks like it's been catch-and-release once the Chinese embezzler returns enough stolen money.
As criminal prosection goes, that's incredibly cushy. Far nicer than what a drug importer would expect.
And it appears to be reciprocal, as Australians are known to flee to China to evade arrest as well.
Nah it's still the wolf's fault, even when the shepherd is terrible. Take the wolf out of the equation, and the sheep live regardless of the shepherd's capabilities.
Say what you will about conspiracy nuts, but the idea of a world government is very very real and has been for a long time. It’s always been about the money.
Edit: Yall can downvote brigade me until the cows come home and you're blue in the face (not to mention multi-account abuse for downvoting being arguably worse on a fedinet instance) - the fact is, the chinese have mini-govt buildings setup all around the world. This case isn't the first, nor will it be the last. Mald harder.
Kinda glad where I live there's absolutely no way our government would allow CCP police to reach me. (unless the CCP police goes undercover and kidnaps me)
Pretty sure there's no way my government would allow it. Sure, secretly kidnapping me might not be too difficult, but my government would never officially give permission to the CCP police to have a talk with me (as the Australian govt. did in this article). I live in Taiwan btw.
There must have been some kind of cooperation, Australia has custom offices and border controls at airports and harbours. They won't let her out without looking at her passport, etc.