On the evening of the 7th, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior officially notified that, within the framework of cooperation in combating transnational crime, and upon the request of the Chinese authorities, the Cambodian authorities recently arrested three Chinese citizens—including Prince Group founder Chen Zhi—and lawfully transferred them to the Chinese side.
Earlier reports from the Chinese-language Cambodian media, Khmer-China Times, stated that Chen Zhi was arrested in Cambodia and has already been deported to China to be investigated by the relevant authorities. In October last year, the US Department of Justice accused Chen Zhi of running a vast scam empire involving telecom fraud and money laundering, and seized about US$15 billion (RM60.808 billion) in Bitcoin. He allegedly laundered money in Hong Kong for nine years, manipulated 10 companies, and had assets totaling HK$2.75 billion (RM1.432 billion) frozen by the Hong Kong police.
The Ministry of Interior notification indicated that the individuals extradited are Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang, and Shao Ji Hui. The operation was carried out on January 6th this year. Before this, law enforcement agencies from China and Cambodia had conducted joint investigations and cooperation on the relevant cases for several months.
● Chen Zhi Stripped of Cambodian Nationality
The Cambodian Ministry of Interior also stated that, in accordance with the provisions of the Cambodian Nationality Law, Chen Zhi was officially stripped of Cambodian nationality by decree in December 2025.
The Ministry emphasized that this action was undertaken lawfully within the framework of international law enforcement cooperation and stated that the notification aims to inform the domestic and international public of the situation. The statement did not disclose further details of the case.