Chinese Fugitive Could Be Extradited Next Week

It looks like it's the end of the line for Lai Changxing, as the Chinese government pinkie swears not to execute him when he gets back home.

Lai Changxing, a man wanted in China on smuggling charges who's been fighting deportation from Canada for the past 11 years, will soon be extradited after a federal court judge ruled against him yesterday. Lai has maintained for years that he cannot go back to China because he says he would likely be executed if he's convicted of allegations that he ran a massive smuggling ring in the 1990s. However, the Chinese government has apparently given Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird their word that Lai, 52, will not be executed when he returns, as Canada won't deport fugitives if they face the death penalty at home. Lai could be extradited as soon as July 25, 11 years after he was first picked up by Canadian authorities in Niagara Falls.