Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has defended the deportation of Chen Zhi to China, noting that the move was a sovereign decision taken after authorities determined he had obtained Cambodian nationality through improper means, according to local Chinese-language media outlet Cambodia China Times.

In remarks dated January 26th, cited by the outlet, the ministry said the revocation of Chen’s citizenship and his subsequent deportation were carried out in accordance with Cambodian law, rejecting claims that the action was politically motivated. Officials stressed that the case involved the misuse of legal procedures to obtain nationality, making the decision a matter of national sovereignty rather than external pressure.

The clarification comes nearly three weeks after Chen was repatriated to China, amid heightened scrutiny of Cambodia’s handling of high-profile foreign investors and its cooperation with international law enforcement on transnational crime. Cambodian authorities confirmed that Chen, chairman of Prince Group, was arrested on January 6th along with two other individuals following what the Ministry of Interior described as ‘several months of joint investigative cooperation’ with China.

The Ministry of Interior said Chen’s Cambodian citizenship had been revoked prior to his extradition, which took place “within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that citizenship obtained through fraudulent or improper means can be revoked under Cambodian law, particularly when national security or public order is at issue. However, the statement did not specify what constituted the alleged fraudulent or improper means in Chen’s case.

Chen has been targeted by coordinated enforcement actions by Western governments. On October 14th, both the US Treasury Department and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced sanctions against Chen and related entities, accusing Prince Group of involvement in online fraud and human trafficking. The US Department of Justice unsealed an indictment the same day, alleging that Chen oversaw forced-labor scam operations in Cambodia.

China’s state-owned news agency Xinhua reported on January 8th that Chen and his alleged criminal network are suspected of crimes including fraud and the concealment of illicit proceeds, adding that Chinese authorities are preparing arrest warrants for other alleged members of the organization.

At the time, Prince Group rejected the accusations by US and UK authorities, describing them as ‘baseless’ and politically motivated.