China seeks US co-op on fugitives (2)

"It usually took three to five years to repatriate an economic crime fugitive after constant communication with US judicial authorities," he said. "US law enforcement had no knowledge of our legal system."

Chinese liaison officers do not have judicial powers, so they must only rely on local police to investigate and obtain evidence.

"First, we had to submit detailed case files, including warrants issued by Interpol, to the FBI and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and request their assistance," Wang Zhigang said.

However, they did not further investigate the alleged crimes, he explained. "Only if the fugitives were suspected of illegal immigration or money laundering, and after grasping solid evidence, would US police consider detaining and charging them under local law."

Meanwhile, fugitives often appealed to higher courts and hired attorneys to delay the hearing, all of which slowed the repatriation process, he said.

Pursuing fugitives is only part of a liaison officer's work. Wang said he paid more attention to combating cross-border crime targeting overseas Chinese, such as telecom fraud, smuggling of drugs or firearms, and human trafficking.

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