Former finance head turns himself in after 25 years on the run

A former finance head in Heqing county, Yunnan province, who fled for 25 years for duty crimes, turned himself in recently.

Lu Yuchun, the former director of the finance bureau in Heqing's Chengjiao township (now Caohai township), voluntarily surrendered to the commission of supervision in Heqing.

Lu was suspected of embezzling public funds by taking advantage of his position in September 1998 and went into hiding. In April 2000, public security organs launched an online manhunt against him.

Lu, who was born in 1965, confessed that he had been drifting and hiding in Yunnan, Qinghai province, Xinjiang Uygur, Tibet and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions over the past 25 years.

He said he was unable to fulfill his obligations as a son to his deceased parents, and participate in the growth of his children and the establishment of their families. He felt ashamed as a son and a father.

Fearing he would be caught halfway and his act of voluntary surrender would not be recognized by supervisory authorities, which is important for lenient treatment, Lu bought a second-hand electric bike, rode about 40 kilometers every night and hid during the day. He spent more than half a month and traveled over 600 kilometers from Yunnan's Puer to Heqing.

The Yunnan commissions urged fugitives to voluntarily surrender, saying the disciplinary and supervisory authorities will provide lenient treatment according to the law.