The UK and US governments recently announced sanctions against a large transnational fraud and money laundering criminal group based in Cambodia.Chen ZhiLeader, and has been active in the international arena for many years.Chen ZhiHe has entered and exited Taiwan at least 10 times, and some senior members of the group even entered Taiwan with visa-free status.
The international investigative media organization "Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project" (OCCRP) recently released a special report focusing on one of the core figures of the group.Zhu Zhongbiao, and revealed that he and his wifeWang XiaoyanReal estate portfolio in Dubai and London.
Before being sanctioned by the UK and the US, Zhu Zhongbiao was already wanted by the Chinese government for money laundering. According to official documents cited by OCCRP, Zhu Zhongbiao obtained Cambodian citizenship in 2017 and changed his name to Jack Zhu. In September 2018, he and Wang Xiaoyan obtained Cypriot citizenship.
Zhu Zhongbiao is believed to have used a Cambodian passport to enter Taiwan visa-free. According to regulations, passport holders from some Southeast Asian countries who hold visas or residence permits from Europe, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and South Korea can obtain "conditional" visa-free entry to Taiwan.
Furthermore, in May of last year, the Cypriot government, based on an investigation by the Ministry of the Interior, announced the revocation of several investment citizenship programs, commonly known as "golden passports." Among them were those of Zhu Zhongbiao, Wang Xiaoyan, and one of their children. Cyprus, a member of the European Union, has recently drawn EU scrutiny for its citizenship-by-investment program.
Zhu Zhongbiao is listed as the chairman of Jin Bei Group. According to Cambodian company registration records, Jin Bei Group owns several casinos and scam operations. OCCRP noted that after taking over as chairman in 2018, Zhu Zhongbiao invested heavily in high-end real estate in Dubai and is currently known to own at least 29 properties.
Wang Xiaoyan owns the Fuheng Wang Group in the UK, which holds at least five properties in London. OCCRP's investigations show that these properties have not yet been frozen by the UK government, and Wang Xiaoyan has not been included in the sanctions lists announced by the UK and US on the 14th of this month.
British company registration information shows that Fuheng Wang Group was established in 2021 and is still in "operating" status. Wang Xiaoyan is the sole director, her nationality is registered as Cyprus, and her registered address is England.
This case reflects that fraud gangs evade justice and asset tracking through multiple nationalities, cross-border investments and complex financial operations, posing a major challenge to international law enforcement cooperation.
