CHINA / SOCIETY
Overseas no 'paradise' for fraudsters, warns CCDI after Canada-based pop singer's post on mother's detention on corruption charges
Published: Sep 28, 2020 12:09 AM

Photo: VCG


A post on Weibo by the Canada-based daughter of a woman awaiting trial in China on corruption charges involving 350 million yuan ($51.3 million), has raised the ire of the netizens on social media. 

China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) posted an article on its website on Sunday, saying overseas countries are not "paradise" for illegally transferring assets.

Chinese pop star Qu Wanting who lives in Canada posted a note on the sixth anniversary of her mother, Zhang Mingjie's detention on corruption charges. 

Her post on Tuesday was just three lines: "Sixth anniversary…Fruitless…  Continue to strive to maintain a belief in justice." 

Zhang was an official in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province who was allegedly involved in a sensational corruption case involving millions of yuan. It's unknown how much has been recovered and how much was transferred to foreign bank accounts. 

Infuriated Chinese netizens slammed Qu for the post, as many believe the singer has been living the high life in Canada on her mother's ill begotten gains. "Your tuition she gave you is tainted with the blood and sweat of laid-off workers," was a typical sentiment. 

In the article on its official news website, the CCDI said it's understandable that people would be angry considering the harm Zhang's alleged crimes have caused.  

The article says people who commit fraud and try to hide their illegal assets in other countries so they can live an extravagant lifestyle, must face the most severe consequences. 

A former official at the state railway transportation bureau confessed in court in June of taking bribes for seven years before fleeing to Canada in 2013. 

He and his family reportedly obtained permanent residency abroad 10 years before his fraud was detected. He had set up his wife and children in a luxury villa in the US, CCDI noted. 

"Government officials are obligated to declare overseas deposits, regardless whether the deposit is legal," a CCDI official was quoted as saying in the article. 

China's criminal law specifies that public service employees who hide assets overseas are committing an additional crime that could add two years to their sentence. 

The CCDI warned potential criminals that they can't escape the law by fleeing abroad, which is a crime in itself.