Chinese media report that Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of the Prince Group who is involved in telecom fraud, has been formally arrested six months after being escorted back to China.
According to Caixin, citing sources, Chen Zhi was approved for arrest on July 6. Compared with the charges when he was first escorted back, the charge of concealing or disguising criminal proceeds has been dropped, while charges of copyright infringement and intentional injury have been added. He is also suspected of fraud, operating casinos, and illegal business operations.
Earlier, China’s Ministry of Public Security announced that, with cooperation from Cambodia, Chen Zhi was escorted back to China in January this year and was identified as a Chinese citizen. The Ministry called this "another major achievement of China-Cambodia law enforcement cooperation."
According to Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a meeting on the 17th of this month with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Xijiao State Guest Hotel in Shanghai, said that the "3+3" strategic dialogue mechanism in diplomacy, defense, and public security should be utilized, and both sides should join forces to crack down on cross-border crimes such as counterfeiting, smuggling, online gambling, and telecom fraud, in order to safeguard common interests and security.
According to a Chinese press release, Hun Manet said that Cambodia wishes to further deepen political mutual trust with China, expand bilateral trade, cooperate on key infrastructure projects, and intensify efforts to combat telecom fraud.