No safe haven for the corrupt

SEEKING ASYLUM OVERSEAS WITH THE wealth they have illicitly accumulated will likely not be so easy for corrupt officials in the near future.

The regional anti-graft network endorsed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members last week in the Chinese capital and the agreement reached by the leaders at the G20 Summit in Australia to launch a similar network will undoubtedly shatter the dream that quite a number of corrupt Chinese officials cherish that they will always be able to find a safe haven overseas, in Western countries in particular.

Fleeing overseas, especially to the United States or Canada, has long been the ultimate goal of corrupt officials hoping to escape punishment and spend the rest of their lives enjoying their ill-gotten gains. The phenomenon of so-called naked officials who stay behind alone while their families live overseas has become so prominent that specific measures have been adopted by the government to curb the practice.