Chinese fugitive in plea for ‘protection’
Print Edition
A BUSINESSMAN on China’s most-wanted list has argued for protection as a refugee when he appeared in a Canadian court.
Cheng Muyang, known in Vancouver as developer Michael Ching, on Tuesday asked a judge to review a November ruling by the Canadian refugee board that denied him that protection.
In April, China released the names of 100 people wanted in its “Sky Net” anti-graft campaign. The list included Ching, son of Cheng Weigao, ex-Party chief of north China’s Hebei Province who was removed from office for graft in 2003. The senior Cheng died of an unspecified illness in 2010.
Ching’s lawyer David Matas contested the board’s position that there was reason to consider that he committed a crime.
Matas said the allegations centered on a 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million) sale of a Beijing property to Hebei Province.
Matas said there was no evidence other than testimony “obtained by torture,” and that China was trying to get to Ching’s father.
“There is no crime. It’s just a property matter,” Matas said.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in Beijing yesterday that he was not aware of torture reports.
“The Chinese government’s determination to bring to justice people suspected of corruption who have fled abroad has not changed,” Lu said at a regular news briefing.
Nalini Reddy, a lawyer representing the Canadian government, said the refugee board only needed to find there were “serious reasons for considering” charges against Ching for it to deny him protection.
Part of the evidence Chinese courts heard earlier was of a 2.8 million yuan payment to Ching from the property sale’s broker. The refugee board did not see the evidence and relied on a description from the Chinese court.
Ching told the board last year that the payment related to other transactions.
The refugee board’s immigration division claimed in 2009 that torture was involved in testimony of some witnesses who implicated Ching in China, although Ottawa is appealing that finding.
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