▲ This image, captured from the website of Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group, shows Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of the company. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

scam boss-extradition

Cambodia extradites alleged scam boss, sanctioned by S. Korea, to China

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- Cambodia has arrested and extradited the chairman of Prince Group, Chen Zhi, who was sanctioned by South Korea over kidnappings linked to online job scams, to China, according to the Southeast Asian nation's interior ministry Thursday.

The Cambodian ministry said in a statement dated Wednesday that it arrested and extradited Chen, along with two other Chinese nationals, the previous day, following months of joint investigative cooperation with Chinese authorities.

Last November, South Korea imposed sanctions on 15 individuals and 132 entities, including Chen and his company, marking the first time Seoul imposed sanctions over transnational crimes in Southeast Asia.

Prince Group has been accused of running illicit online scam rings operating in Cambodia, where many South Koreans have been lured with the promise of high-paying jobs.

The death of a South Korean college student, who was tortured by an online job-scam ring in Cambodia last August, triggered public outrage and prompted the government to address the issue.

In the statement, the Cambodian ministry said it arrested "three Chinese nationals -- namely Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang and Shao Ji Hui, and extradited (them) to the People's Republic of China."

Chen's Cambodian nationality was revoked in December, it added.

The arrest also came amid a surge in alleged scam compounds operating in Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Earlier, the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on Prince Group, while U.S. federal prosecutors indicted Chen on charges of fraud and money laundering.

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