Madagascar dismantles scam compounds relocated from Cambodia

Discussed by: US Department of Justice and Secret Service statements

US Attorney Pirro publicly called on Madagascar to hand over the six people charged in the October 2026 indictment, including alleged scheme leader Chui Kok Wa. If Madagascar cooperates, the defendants would face trial in US federal court. The request comes after Madagascar sent 148 Chinese nationals to China, showing it is willing to transfer suspects abroad but has so far favored Beijing over Washington.

Discussed by: AFP reporting on the extradition pattern

Madagascar's three prior transfers went to China, not the US, and its justice ministry described those moves as letting convicted nationals serve sentences at home under a bilateral judicial arrangement. That precedent suggests the six US-charged defendants could instead be prosecuted in Madagascar or transferred to China, leaving the US case stalled.

Discussed by: AFP, citing Malagasy police

Around 20 nationals of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe remain in custody even though initial findings suggest they were deceived and trafficked. Police chief Hassan Mouigni said they had passports confiscated and were forced to scam. If authorities treat them as victims rather than offenders, they would be released and returned home.

Discussed by: UNODC and FBI assessments

The FBI has said cyber scam centers increasingly open in Africa after closures in Southeast Asia, and the Madagascar case itself followed a Cambodia crackdown. If the pattern holds, the organizations behind the dismantled compounds could rebuild elsewhere on the continent, drawing the same mix of trafficked workers and crypto fraud.