After more than three years of hearings, the Thai Appeals Court has upheld the extradition ruling for Chinese national She Zhijiang.
The 43-year-old She Zhijiang was arrested by Thai police in August 2022. China has accused him of illegally running online gambling operations and issued a red notice through Interpol.
In May last year, the Thai Criminal Court ruled to extradite She Zhijiang to China. However, his legal team appealed to the Constitutional Court of Thailand. Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled that the extradition order was legal and valid.
On the 10th, Thai prosecutors issued a statement declaring that She Zhijiang will be extradited to China “to stand trial for illegally operating a casino.”
The statement said that She Zhijiang is also suspected of crimes including creating and operating 239 gambling websites, with a circulation of over 12.63 trillion baht (about 1.62 trillion ringgit). He is also accused of building and operating 2 casinos in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar, and allegedly luring Chinese citizens to participate in gambling activities through various online platforms.
On the other hand, She Zhijiang’s representative lawyer Sanya stated that his client denies all charges, claiming that China’s accusations are politically motivated and based on so-called criminal activities from 2011.
Sanya said the Appeals Court delivered its verdict on the 6th, and informed She Zhijiang and his legal team of the result on the 10th.
She Zhijiang is currently being held at a detention center in Bangkok. Thai authorities have 90 days to extradite She Zhijiang to China.
When She Zhijiang was apprehended, he was reportedly in charge of the massive gambling empire “Shwe Kokko” on the Thai-Myanmar border, which includes casinos, entertainment and tourism facilities worth approximately USD 15 billion (about 62.39 billion ringgit). In September this year, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nine companies and individuals linked to Shwe Kokko.