A China-born accused scam boss was extradited from Cambodia, Chinese state media said yesterday, linking him to an alleged kingpin indicted by the US for running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from the Southeast Asian nation.
“Investigations found that Li Xiong (李雄), the former chairman of Huione Group under Prince Group, is suspected of multiple crimes,” state-run China Central Television (CCTV) said, with the report calling Li “a core member of Chen Zhi’s (陳志) criminal gang.”
Chen, the founder of Prince Group, was extradited to China from Cambodia in January.
Photo: AFP
Also Chinese-born, Chen had served as an adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former leader Hun Sen.
Chen and Li had been granted Cambodian citizenship, which was later revoked by Phnom Penh.
“At present, Li Xiong has been placed under coercive measures according to the law, and the relevant case is under further investigation,” CCTV said.
Across Southeast Asia, organized criminal gangs have used casinos, hotels and fortified compounds as bases to carry out sophisticated online scams, defrauding people around the world through fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investment schemes, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said.
Cambodia hosts dozens of scam centers with tens of thousands of people perpetrating online scams, some willingly and others trafficked, rights monitors say.
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