Singapore extradites Chinese man over Auckland break-in and sexual assault

NEW ZEALAND: A man from China who is believed to have broken into the home of a woman living in West Auckland was caught in Singapore and then extradited to New Zealand almost two years after the home invasion occurred.

He has since appeared in the High Court of Auckland. 

The woman was also allegedly sexually assaulted by 41-year-old Xuesong Zhang multiple times. 

According to news reports, Zhang fled China a few days after the incident occurred. 

After he was identified, authorities in New Zealand worked with their counterparts in China to bring him to justice, but the two countries do not have an extradition treaty.

However, the man then flew to Singapore, which does have such a treaty with New Zealand. 

Zhang was extradited last September to face the charges against him, appearing in the High Court at Auckland earlier this month.

He entered pleas of not guilty to charges that include indecent assault, strangulation, assault with a weapon, abduction, threats to kill, and aggravated robbery.

The judge on his case has scheduled his trial for March 2027, and Zhang remains in custody.

Extradition to and from Singapore

Singapore has existing extradition treaties with the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. In 2025, it also signed a treaty with France, which is now entering into force. Singapore also has special arrangements with Malaysia and Brunei.

Additionally, the city-state can extradite to around 40 Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

However, countries may exercise caution before extraditing individuals to Singapore unless an assurance is given that the death penalty will not be imposed. Some European countries, for example, ask for this type of assurance not just from Singapore but as a general practice due to human rights laws.

In 2021, a man born in Singapore who was wanted in relation to a murder case nearly four decades ago was jailed in Australia. However, the country’s Attorney-General’s Department said the man could not be extradited if he faces the death penalty. 

Tham Kwok Wah, who was already 77 in 2021, is a suspect in the murder of a man believed to have been thrown from a hotel balcony in Singapore way back in 1984.

He was jailed in Australia due to filing A$104,000 in bogus pension benefits.

Tham, who lived in Australia under an assumed name for many years, pleaded guilty in November 2019 to fraud and passport deception. He was sentenced to a jail term of six years and nine months. /TISG

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