Part of the building of Unit 61398, a secretive Chinese military unit, is seen in the outskirts of Shanghai Feb. 19. The unit is believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks, a U.S. computer security company said, prompting a strong denial by China
Part of the building of Unit 61398, a secretive Chinese military unit, is seen in the outskirts of Shanghai Feb. 19. The unit is believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks, a U.S. computer security company said, prompting a strong denial by China and accusations that it was in fact the victim of U.S. hacking. Reuters REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Feeling the heat of anti-corruption drive in China, a prominent Chinese property developer fled to New Zealand after the arrest of the Vice Mayor in Chinese city Guangzhou, reported NZ Herald.

It was Financial Times that broke the news of Tan Bingzhao, who allegedly paid huge bribes to Vice-Mayor Cao Jianliao in return for cheap land and commercial contracts. Tan is a citizen of New Zealand. During the investigation on Cao Jianliao, Tan fled to New Zealand. Tan Bingzhao had been working as a property developer in Guangzhou. The Chinese authorities came across evidence of Tan having paid huge bribes to Cao and his relatives to buy land and win contracts.

Cao was removed from his Vice Mayor post on charges of corruption and is in jail now. He is facing charges of graft worth US$43 million. There are also charges of sexual misconduct with many mistresses.

Permission to Interrogate

During the investigation against the Vice-Mayor, Beijing asked the permission of New Zealand Government to interrogate Tan. Cao's wife, child and mistress had also moved to New Zealand, when Cao was arrested in December.

The investigation against corruption was initiated by the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). This was at the behest of Chinese president Xi Jinping, who wanted to root out corruption among party officials. The latest Chinese offensive against corruption has been code named "Fox Hunt 2014" and targets fugitives based in the United States, Canada and Australia.

China Ties

The request to probe Tan may embarrass the New Zealand Government. China is New Zealand's biggest trading partner. It is understood that the New Zealand Government will be wary of assisting the CCDI, which uses even torture on the suspects during investigations, the FT reported. China also slaps death penalty in corruption cases.

The paper quoted the Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) saying that it was not aware of any investigative activity in New Zealand by the CCDI. The New Zealand Police also claimed that it was not contacted by the CCDI, said the report. The office of Foreign Minister Murray McCully also did not respond to questions on the probe when contacted by the local paper, Business Herald.