Chen Zhi arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, Phnom Penh says

Chinese-born tycoon Chen Zhi has been arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, Cambodia’s interior ministry said, adding that two other Chinese nationals were also arrested and sent to Beijing. Chen was indicted by the US on fraud and money-laundering charges for allegedly running a multibillion-dollar online scam network from Cambodia, US prosecutors say.

The US indictment and prosecutors say Chen directed operations of forced‑labour compounds in Cambodia where trafficked workers were held in prison‑like facilities surrounded by high walls and barbed wire. The interior ministry said the operation was carried out "within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime" and followed several months of joint investigative cooperation.

Since the US indictment and sanctions by Washington and London in October, authorities in Europe, the US and Asia have targeted Chen’s firm, Prince Holding Group, with asset confiscations; the US justice department has described the Prince Group as a front for "one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organizations." Prince Group has denied the allegations.

Chinese authorities did not immediately comment and the US justice department declined to comment, the ministry said.

Key Topics

World, Chen Zhi, Prince Holding Group, Cambodia, Forced Labour, Cryptocurrency Fraud