Wang v. Masaitis

316 F. Supp. 2d 891, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8518, 2004 WL 1047583
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedApril 27, 2004
DocketCV 03-747-CAS(RC)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 316 F. Supp. 2d 891 (Wang v. Masaitis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wang v. Masaitis, 316 F. Supp. 2d 891, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8518, 2004 WL 1047583 (C.D. Cal. 2004).

Opinion

ORDER ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

SNYDER, District Judge.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 636, the Court has reviewed the Petition and other papers along with the attached Report and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge Rosalyn M. Chapman, as well as petitioner’s objections and respondent’s response to petitioner’s objections, and has made a de novo determination.

IT IS ORDERED that: (1) the Report and Recommendation is approved and adopted; (2) the Report and Recommendation is adopted as the findings of fact and conclusions of law herein; and (3) Judgment shall be entered denying the petition for writ of habeas corpus and dismissing the action with prejudice.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk shall serve copies of this Order, the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation and Judgment by the United States mail on the parties.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF A UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

CHAPMAN, United States Magistrate Judge.

This Report and Recommendation is submitted to the Honorable Christina A. Snyder, United States District Judge, by Magistrate Judge Rosalyn M. Chapman, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636 and General Order 01-13 of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

*893 BACKGROUND

I

On March 12, 2003, Magistrate Bina Chainrai of the Magistrate’s Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong”) issued a warrant for the arrest of petitioner Michael Wang for the crimes of: (1) theft, in violation of Section 9 of the Theft Ordinance, Chapter 210, Laws of Hong Kong (charges one through eighteen); and (2) dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offense, in violation of Section 25(1) and (3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, Laws of Hong Kong (charges nineteen and twenty). 1 Petition, Exh. A. These crimes arose as the result of actions by petitioner as managing director of Pharmedic International (HK) Ltd. (“PMIL”). 2 Krause Deck, ¶ 2, Exh. A at 169-93 (Affidavit, CHEUNG Lap-ho), 353-63 (Affidavit, LING Wai-hong).

On June 9, 2003, the Hong Kong Department of Justice submitted to the United States a formal request for the surrender of petitioner for prosecution on the eighteen counts of theft and two counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable Of-fence. Krause Decl, ¶ 2, Exh A at 28-40. On June 26, 2003, the United States filed a request to extradite petitioner Michael Wang to Hong Kong. On October 9, 2003, Magistrate Judge Rosalyn M. Chapman held a hearing, and found the extradition treaty between the United States and Hong Kong was constitutional and valid and further found there is probable cause to believe petitioner committed the charged offenses and should be extradited to Hong Kong. On October 17, 2003, this Court certified it had found petitioner extraditable to Hong Kong on all charges. On October 23, -2003, District Judge Christina A. Snyder stayed petitioner’s extradition pending resolution of this habeas proceeding.

II

On October 17, 2003, petitioner filed the pending habeas corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, in which petitioner contends: (1) this Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to certify petitioner’s extradition to Hong Kong because the extradition agreement between the United States and Hong Kong is unconstitutional; and (2) probable cause to extradite petitioner on charges three to six and ten to seventeen has not been established. On December 3, 2003, respondent filed an answer, and on January 21, 2004, petitioner filed a reply.

III

A brief history of Hong Kong, its current political relationship to the People’s Republic of China (“P.R.C.”), and the development of the extradition treaty between the United States and Hong Kong is helpful for understanding petitioner’s first claim. As the Second Circuit summarized:

Prior to the Opium Wars of the mid-19th century between China and the *894 United Kingdom (the “U.K.”), Hong Kong was an integral part of imperial China. British rule over Hong Kong was achieved in three stages. In 1842, China ceded rule over Hong Kong Island to the U.K. “in perpetuity” through the Treaty of Nanking, which settled the First Opium War. Under the 1860 Convention of Peking, which ended the Second Opium War, China relinquished the Kowloon Peninsula permanently. Finally, following China’s defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, the U.K. secured a lease of the New Territories for 99 years, until June 30, 1997.[¶] As the lease period for the New Territories ran toward expiration, the U.K. and the People’s Republic óf China (“the PRC”) initiated negotiations for the return of sovereignty over Hong Kong to the PRC. These talks culminated in the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong (the “Joint Declaration”), which the U.K. and the PRC signed on December 19, 1984. In 1990, China promulgated the Basic Law, a framework for the governance of Hong Kong upon reversion to Chinese rule. The Basic Law created the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “HKSAR”); governed by the principle of “one country, two systems.” Under this principle, Hong Kong is recognized as an “inalienable part” of the PRC, but its capitalist system is to be “unchanged for 50 years [from July 1, 1997].” [¶] The Basic Law establishes an executive authority, and enumerates its powers and functions, among them, “to conduct relevant external affairs on its own” subject to the ultimate authority of the central government of the PRC. It also creates a new legislature, and preserves the existing judicial system, except for the creation of a new high court, the Court of Final Appeal. Moreover, the Basic Law authorizes the HKSAR government to “make appropriate arrangements with foreign states for reciprocal juridical assistance” subject to the approval of the central government of the PRC.

Cheung v. United States, 213 F.3d 82, 84 (2d Cir.2000)(some citations omitted); see also Krause Deck, ¶ 3, Exh. B at 1525-60 (setting forth the Basic Law).

On October 5, 1992, Congress enacted the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act (“Act”), 22 U.S.C. §§ 5701-5732, see Pub.L. No. 102-383, 106 Stat. 1448 (1992), expressing its support for the Joint Declaration and “its wish to see full implementation of the Joint Declaration.” 22 U.S.C. § 5701.

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Related

In Re the Extradition of Santos
795 F. Supp. 2d 966 (C.D. California, 2011)

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316 F. Supp. 2d 891, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8518, 2004 WL 1047583, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wang-v-masaitis-cacd-2004.