China secures return of 174 fugitives since 2013

BEIJING - China had secured the return of 174 fugitives suspected of duty-related crimes since 2013 and recovered assets worth 1.9 billion yuan ($291.1 million), the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced Thursday.

Chinese procuratorates have handled 632 cases of international judicial assistance involving criminal offenses since 2013, the SPP said, adding remarkable results have been achieved in international cooperation to fight corruption, terrorism, and crimes related to the Internet, money laundering and drugs.

Among the repatriated fugitives is Li Huabo, a former finance official in east China's Jiangxi Province, who was the number two most wanted on a list of China's top 100 fugitives in an Interpol "red notice."

Li fled the country in January 2011 and remained in Singapore until he was repatriated in May 2015. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in January. Li's illicit gains worth 4.83 million yuan were returned and 5.5 million Singapore dollars ($4 million) was confiscated.

The SPP has signed 24 cooperation agreements, memorandums of understanding, and plans with judicial organs from 19 countries and regions since the 18th Communist Party of China National Congress in 2012.