Cambodia has extradited to China another alleged associate of the Prince Group, a Phnom Penh-based conglomerate that is widely accused of having operated cyber-scam centers built on forced labor.
Chinese state media reported today that Li Xiong arrived in Beijing after being arrested in Cambodia as a “result of joint law enforcement cooperation” between the two countries.
His extradition follows Prince Group Chairman Chen Zhi, who was arrested and sent to China in January.
Chinese state media described Li Xiong as a “core backbone member of Prince Group’s criminal enterprise.”
He faces charges including operating illegal casinos, fraud, and handling proceeds of crime, according to Chinese state media reports citing the Ministry of Public Security. The charges and allegations of his role in the Prince Group remain unproven.
Aside from being targeted by China, the Prince Group has been sanctioned by the U.S., South Korea and the U.K., which recently froze a number of London properties related to the conglomerate.
Li Xiong has served as chairman of Huione Group, which Chinese authorities allege is a subsidiary of the Prince Group, according to state media.
The U.S. sanctioned Huione Group alongside the Prince Group in October.
The U.S. Treasury Department accused Huione Group of laundering billions of dollars in illicit funds derived from crimes including “pig butchering” cyber-scams allegedly carried out by the Prince Group. However, the Treasury Department did not directly link the two corporate entities.
Cambodian corporate documents obtained by OCCRP confirm Li Xiong’s role in Huione Group companies. They also show that Hun To, the cousin of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, held shares one of the companies, Huione Pay Plc, along with Li Xiong.
Huione Pay told Reuters in 2024 that Hun To’s co-directorship did not include “day-to-day oversight” of company operations. Lawyers who have represented Hun To in Australia did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Huione Group did not respond before publication to questions sent to company emails about Li Xiong’s arrest and extradition. Cambodia’s Cabinet Office did not respond to a request for comment.
Cambodia’s corporate registry also shows further business interests Li Xiong has in the country. They include Proteva Insurance PLC, as well as two real estate companies called Cocosili Investment Co Ltd, and Huione Education Co Ltd.
Like other China-born Prince Group associates, Li Xiong obtained Cambodian citizenship, according to the government’s royal gazette.
OCCRP reported in December on the multiple passports — in different names — held by a man born as Hu Xiaowei, who was a key Prince Group player. Hu Xiaowei and Prince Group Chairman Chen Zhi both obtained Cambodian citizenship, and forged bonds with political and economic elites in the Southeast Asian country.
The Prince Group has said the allegations made by U.S. and U.K. authorities are “baseless and appear aimed at justifying the unlawful seizure of assets worth billions of dollars.”
