Ambassador Gui Congyou (center) answers questions from Swedish media. Photo: Screenshot from the Chinese Embassy in Sweden

Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou urged Sweden to extradite one of China's most wanted corrupt fugitives as soon as possible. 

Gui told Swedish media SvD and Expressen on Wednesday that he hopes Sweden will not become a shelter or safe haven for corrupt criminals, according to the website of the Chinese Embassy in Sweden on Friday. 

The fugitive, Qiao Jianjun, a former director of a government grain storage facility in Zhoukou, Central China's Henan Province, is suspected of embezzling more than 200 million yuan ($29 million). He fled to the US in 2011. 

He laundered the money in the US, Singapore and Liechtenstein before fleeing to Sweden.

Qiao was released from Swedish custody on June 19 after he was arrested in August 2018, Reuters reported. A few days after he was released, he was arrested again in Sweden at the behest of US authorities, the South China Morning Post reported.

Chinese authorities have provided concrete and detailed evidence of Qiao's suspected crimes to authorities in those countries, and they confirmed the evidence following an investigation, Gui said.

It is very hard to believe the Supreme Court of Sweden decided to release him based on the lies of a few people at the recent extradition hearing, Gui said. 

Qiao is wanted by Interpol, and is No.3 on the red notice list of 100 corrupt fugitives wanted by China, Gui said.

"We hope the Supreme Court in Sweden will stand on the side of justice, make a fair decision on the case as soon as possible, so that Qiao Jianjun can be extradited to China to be brought to justice," Gui said. 

Gui said that competent Chinese authorities handled all the cases fairly and according to law. 

Over the past five years, nearly 6,000 criminal suspects were extradited and repatriated or turned themselves in to China from over 120 countries, including the US and those from Europe.

Global Times