From a Fujian internet café dropout to a Cambodian black money tycoon, Chen Zhi's path to success has been deeply intertwined with transnational crime and online fraud. Yet, surprisingly, he was not only a VIP advisor to two Cambodian prime ministers but was also bestowed the title of "Duke."
After the announcement of Chen Zhi’s extradition to China, Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen appeared to distance himself. On the evening of the 7th, his spokesperson stated that some people attempt to use the names of the ruling party chairman and the government prime minister as protective umbrellas to cover up their own illegal actions, and that these individuals are the key focus of strict rectification and removal by the ruling party.
Chen Zhi, 37, was born in Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China, to an ordinary family. He dropped out in eighth grade and once worked as a network administrator. Using the Lianjiang town internet café as his "entrepreneurship base," he gathered classmates to form the "Knights Team"—amassing his first bucket of gold through paid cyberattacks, game server plugins, and selling user information.
● Once served as adviser to Hun Sen and his son
In 2011, Chen Zhi went to Cambodia to get involved in real estate, acquiring land at low cost from small local officials, hiring Chinese workers to build cheap apartments, and specifically renting them to Chinese workers in Cambodia. His business rapidly expanded. In 2014, he naturalized as a Cambodian citizen and founded Prince Group the next year, publicly claiming to "invest in Cambodia’s future," while privately extending his "black money empire" from real estate to banking, finance, and tourism. The group's business has now spread to more than 30 countries.
Chen Zhi also spared no effort in crafting his public persona. With the help of officials, he befriended the son of the Minister of the Interior, and their jointly opened Prince Hotel became the core venue for political and business circles in Phnom Penh. In July 2020, he was awarded the title of Duke by Hun Sen, then Prime Minister of Cambodia, and subsequently served as an adviser to both Hun Sen and Hun Manet.
From 2021 to 2022, Prince Group won the "Model of Social Responsibility Award" at the China Finance Summit for two consecutive years, with media referring to him as a "positive energy entrepreneur" and "philanthropist."
After the announcement of Chen Zhi’s extradition to China, Xie Tianlong, spokesperson for Senate President and People's Party Chairman Hun Sen, stated on the evening of the 7th that anyone who breaks the law, regardless of their status, position, or title, cannot escape legal punishment.
Xie added that some people are trying to use the national leadership, especially the names of the ruling party chairman and government prime minister, as a protective umbrella to cover up their illegal activities and infringe upon the interests of the people. Such individuals are the main target of the ruling party’s strong measures for rectification and removal.