Prosecutors Arrest Jeonse Loan Fraudster Who Fled to Canada... Domestic Extradition Scheduled for Tomorrow

Office of International Cooperation, Supreme Prosecutors' Office & Incheon District Prosecutors' Office International Cooperation
Persuading Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on the Need for Early Repatriation

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The prosecution has apprehended a jeonse loan fraud suspect who fled to Canada through international cooperation and will extradite him back to South Korea.

On the 13th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that the International Cooperation Office of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office apprehended Mr. A (53, office worker), a suspect in a 300 million KRW jeonse loan fraud case who fled to Canada during trial, through close cooperation with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and plan to extradite him to South Korea on the 14th.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) functions as a border guard and is a Canadian government agency responsible for immigration control and customs duties.

Seoul Seocho-dong, Supreme Prosecutors' Office./Photo by Choi Seok-jin

According to the prosecution, Mr. A deceived by submitting forged documents to a certain credit cooperative on August 26, 2016, and received 360 million KRW under the pretense of a jeonse loan for an apartment he owned, thereby defrauding the amount.

Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of fraud, forgery of private documents, and use of forged private documents, fled to Canada in April 2019 while undergoing trial at the Incheon District Court. In his absence, the court sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months imprisonment in January 2020, and the sentence was finalized on the 31st of the same month.

In April 2020, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office requested a red notice and international cooperation investigation from Interpol. In September 2021, the International Cooperation Office of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office requested the CBSA to locate Mr. A, and in October of the same year, persuaded the need for early extradition citing the 'seriousness of the crime' through extradition negotiations.

In July of last year, the CBSA charged Mr. A with illegal stay, and in December, the Canadian court issued a Deportation Order against him.

Mr. A is scheduled to be extradited to South Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 14th. The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office plans to immediately arrest Mr. A and transfer him to the prosecution upon receiving custody from the CBSA officers escorting him at the airport.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Trial and Litigation Department (Chief Prosecutor Kim Sun-hwa) is strengthening tracking of fugitives abroad as part of focused apprehension and management of those with unexecuted prison sentences.

In particular, the prosecution is actively implementing measures such as travel bans to prevent flight during trials, and for fugitives abroad, is preventing escape to third countries through Interpol red notices and passport invalidation measures.

A representative of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated, "This case involved apprehending a fugitive abroad through cooperation with the CBSA, with whom we had little prior exchange. Going forward, we will continue to carry out strict enforcement of sentences through persistent international cooperation investigations, even if it takes time, for fugitives abroad."