The Cambodian Foreign Minister boasted that the country will continue to intensify the crackdown on online scam centers, even after arresting and extraditing Chen Zhu, a major suspect in an international scam network, to China for prosecution.
Prak Sokhonn, Cambodia's Foreign Minister, told Reuters from Phnom Penh that the arrest and extradition of Chen Zhu to China reflects Cambodia's firm commitment to combating crime, emphasizing that this action is only part of an ongoing fight.
Prak Sokhonn said last week's arrest of Chen Zhu, a Chinese-born individual, marks a significant step in international cooperation to suppress scam networks in Southeast Asia, which were previously fragmented. These criminal networks defraud victims worldwide, causing financial damages worth billions of U.S. dollars.
The extradition of Chen to China, approved by several countries, followed a joint investigation between China and Cambodia. However, details of the investigation have not been publicly disclosed. Chen Zhu was previously charged by the U.S. with fraud via communication systems and money laundering.
"This is a fight that must continue, and we have clear measures and procedures to eliminate this type of crime," Prak Sokhonn said, adding that Cambodia has consistently taken a firm stance against transnational crime, especially crimes using modern technology such as online scam networks.
Chen Zhu, a billionaire in his late 30s, is the head of the Prince Group, based in Cambodia, with businesses that appear legitimate worldwide. However, U.S. authorities say these businesses are merely a front for one of the largest investment fraud operations in history.
Previously, Prince Group denied these allegations, stating they were baseless.
Authorities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan have frozen assets linked to Prince Group worth hundreds of millions of dollars, while the United Kingdom and South Korea have announced sanctions. Additionally, U.S. prosecutors seized approximately $15 billion in bitcoin linked to Chen, and the Cambodian government ordered the liquidation of Prince Bank, which he founded.
So far, it is unclear what charges Chen Zhu will face in China, although China established a special task force to investigate Prince Group in 2020. Chinese court documents from 2022 indicate such an investigation.
Last week, Chinese state television aired footage showing Chen’s arrival in Beijing, handcuffed and hooded, stating he is a suspect in fraud and illegal gambling operations and a leader of a major transnational criminal network involved in gambling and scams.
These scam networks operate from large complexes in several countries, including Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, involving tens of thousands of workers. Among them are human trafficking victims lured by job offers in technology or service industries, then forced to scam victims online under threat of severe punishment if they resist.
Prak Sokhonn said Cambodia cooperates closely with multiple countries to combat transnational crime, including the U.S., China, South Korea, and neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.
He also revealed that Chen Zhu once held Cambodian citizenship, but investigations found it was obtained improperly, and since he remains a Chinese citizen, the Cambodian government decided to extradite him to China for prosecution.
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