NEWS ~ China jails smuggler Lai Changxing for life

Lai Changxing has been jailed forlife for running a multi-billion
dollar smuggling ring, Chinese media say.
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Xinhua news agency said Lai, extradited from Canada, was convicted and
sentenced by a Fujian court.
The 53-year-old was accused of bribing officials and smuggling goods
including cars, cigarettes and oil in one of China's biggest political
scandals.
He fled to Canada in 1999 and avoided extradition for 12 years by
arguing he faced torture and execution in China.
Beijing promised Canada he would not be executed and he was deported in 2011.
Canada usually forbids the extradition of suspects to countries where
they might face the death penalty, and the case severely tested
diplomatic relations between the two.
Smuggling operation
Analysis
Martin Patience
BBC News, Beijing
Lai Changxing operated his smuggling ring from the port city of
Xiamen. He led a luxurious lifestyle, reportedly being driven around
in a bullet-proof MercedesBenz.
The enterprise is said to have made billions of dollars in avoiding
custom revenues. But scores of officials were on his payroll -
exposing the extent of corruption in China.
According to reports, he had a luxurious mansion where he
pliedofficials with alcohol and prostitutes. The crime boss is also
believed to have high-level contacts among China's military and
political elite.
Lai fled to Canada after his huge smuggling ring was smashed by the
authorities in the 1990s. He fought a decade-long legal battle to
remain in Canada.
The case strained relations between the two countries. But Beijing got
its man after it promised Canada that Lai would not be executed if
found guilty.
The sentence was handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of
Xiamen - the city at the heart of Lai's operations - after a trial
which began in early April.
The court said Lai's income that was obtained illegally would be
confiscated, Xinhua reports.
Lai was accused of running a huge smuggling operation from 1991 to 1999.
He established a complex networkto cheat import tariffs of 13.99bnyuan
($2.21bn) on goods worth 27.39bn yuan, the court said.
The goods included cigarettes, cars, heating and cooking oil, textiles
and chemicals.
It also said Lai and his associates bribed 64 government officials
with amounts totalling 39.13m yuan.
Some 300 people were punished for their involvement in the operation.
"The sums involved are unusuallylarge, and the details are
extraordinarily serious," the courtsaid, according to the Xinhua
report.
It is not clear whether Lai is planning to appeal.

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