Lai Changxing, 46, the alleged mastermind behind the...

Lai Changxing, 46, the alleged mastermind behind the Xiamen smuggling racket who was arrested in Canada on 23 November, is almost certain to face the death penalty if sent back to China. Several hundred government officials have been linked to the scandal, including the families of some of China's most senior leaders, although it is understood many prominent figures have escaped any criminal investigation. A Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said that Canada had traditionally been reluctant to extradite people to countries where they could face the death penalty 'because that is not part of our social values'. But Mr Darryl Larson, one of the immigration lawyers representing Lai, said that there have been previous cases, citing the Fang Yong case's who was deported in 1999 in the belief that he would only face imprisonment. "But he was subsequently charged with more serious crimes and sentenced to death." Lai, who holds a Hong Kong passport, is fighting to be extradited to Hong Kong where there is no death penalty. There is no extradition treaty with China.