It's called 'Operation Fox Hunt', but this particular 'fox hunt' was launched in China to catch those 'foxes' – mostly state officials – who had fled abroad after looting public money or receiving bribes. So far, 680 'foxes' have been repatriated, after an operation launched last July, which saw Chinese investigators coordinate with the police of 90 other nations. As many as 70 Chinese investigative teams were sent abroad to track down the fugitives. Just over half of these (390) voluntarily returned after the authorities announced that those who presented themselves to the police would receive less severe sentences.
Of those caught in the net, 117 had been abroad for more than a decade, and one as long as 22 years. The anti-corruption operation continues and aims to catch both 'tigers' and 'flies', as the perpetrators are called, depending on their original rank and level of corruption.
