Chinese television has shown footage of US-indicted tycoon Chen Zhi being escorted by armed police after his extradition to China from Cambodia. Chen, who chairs the Prince Group conglomerate, was shown in handcuffs and hooded as he was led off a plane at a Beijing airport by black-clad SWAT officers. State broadcaster CCTV described him as the 'leader of a major transnational gambling and fraud crime syndicate'.
The surprise arrest is the biggest step yet in efforts to crack down on sprawling scam compounds in Southeast Asia. The United Nations says these compounds house tens of thousands of workers, many trafficked and forced into scamming victims globally, in what has evolved into a sophisticated industry.
Cambodia announced the extradition late on Wednesday, following a months-long joint transnational crime investigation with China. It is not immediately clear what charges Chen, who was born in China, faces. China's foreign ministry said authorities were collaborating to combat cross-border telecom fraud scams.
The US Justice Department indicted Chen in October for wire fraud conspiracy and money-laundering conspiracy. US authorities have linked Prince Group, which operated more than 100 businesses in 30 countries, to a network of scam centres in Cambodia and Myanmar. Cambodia’s central bank on Thursday announced the liquidation of Prince Bank, a lender founded by Chen.
Britain and the US imposed sanctions on Prince Group in October. Weeks later, authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore froze or seized assets worth $354 million and $116 million linked to the company. Prince Group said in November that US allegations of criminal activity by Chen were baseless.
CCTV said Chen was wanted on suspicion of fraud and operating illegal casinos. It said authorities would release a wanted list of key members of the 'Chen Zhi criminal group' whom it urged to surrender. Cambodia’s interior ministry said it had extradited three Chinese nationals including Chen, and that his Cambodian citizenship had been revoked.
