Thirty-somethings leading China’s fox hunt fugitive chase
Team seeking to track down those suspected of corruption who have fled abroad has caught more than 100 people so far
China’s tenacious fox hunt campaign operatives are, on average, highly educated men and women in their thirties with overseas experience, China’s state media said.
The Wechat account of the People’s Daily’s international edition yesterday disclosed more details of the high-profile “fox hunt operation” led by China’s Ministry of Public Security to seize fugitives involved in economic crimes.
“This team responsible for the operation is a pretty mysterious team. They are not hiding in woods, but exposing themselves in the concrete jungle on Beijing’s Finance Street,” the article said.
Operatives of the fox hunt include graduates from British universities, people with doctorates in economics and juris masters.
There is also a designated travel agency, which operates 24/7, for the team.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Public Security announced that more than 100 fugitives suspected of corruption who have fled overseas have been caught.
The People’s Daily article cited a report by the Global Financial Integrity, based in Washington, that said about US$1.08 trillion had been taken out of China illegally between 2002 to 2011. In Australia, the amount of illicit money coming by way of China is in the hundreds of millions of Australian dollars, said the article, citing a police officer responsible for Asia at the Australian Federal Police.
