Shanghai police arrest runaway insurance executives in Fiji

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-09-01

Chen Yi, former general manager of Shanghai Fanxin Insurance Agency
— Shanghai's largest insurance intermediary. (Internet photo)

Chen Yi, the former general manager of Shanghai Fanxin Insurance Agency, and consultant Jiang Jie were escorted back from Fiji by Chinese police on Aug. 19 after fleeing China with an alleged 500 million yuan ($81.7 million) of company money.

"I was experiencing a difficult time as my clients would withdraw large amounts of money every day so I would leave," Chen said after she was arrested.

The couple left for Hong Kong on July 24, flying to Korea before transferring to Fiji on July 28. Shanghai police issued a warrant for their arrest in a total 190 countries. On Aug. 17, Fiji police contacted their Shanghai counterparts to confirm that Chen and Jiang had entered the country.

"They may have felt that they would be busted sooner or later so they applied for related immigration documents in advance and had plenty of foreign currency," said Cheng Yiping, head of the Shanghai Police Department's investigation team. "We took off immediately once we confirmed their whereabouts, but unfortunately we missed the last flight from Hong Kong to Fiji."

Chinese visitors must first transfer in either Hong Kong or Korea to fly to Fiji and there are only two flights every week. Cheng said that officers immediately decided to fly to New Zealand for other connection choices.

Prior to their arrival, Fiji immigration officers were notified of the warrant issued against Chen and Jiang and were able to stop them at the airport before they left for another destination.

Cheng praised the quick actions of the immigration officers, who made the confirmation call to Shanghai just in time to stop the couple. "We would have missed them again if the call did not go through in time," Cheng said.　

References:

Chen Yi　　陳怡

Jiang Jie　　江傑

Cheng Yiping　　程一平