Chinese language property tycoon accused of bribing officers in US | Economic system
Zhang Li is needed within the US on suspicion of bribing public officers between 2015 and 2020.
The billionaire co-chairman and CEO of Chinese language developer Guangzhou R&F Properties Co Ltd is needed in america, accused of paying kickbacks to acquire permits for a development challenge in San Francisco, a court docket in London has heard.
Zhang Li, who co-founded Hong Kong-listed R&F, is needed on a provisional warrant issued within the Northern District of California that accuses him of collaborating in a scheme to bribe public officers between 2015 and 2020.
Ben Lloyd, representing US prosecutors, mentioned the scheme concerned the fee of bribes to officers in San Francisco for the good thing about R&F’s US affiliate, Z&L Properties Inc.
R&F, in a press release on its official WeChat account late on Monday, mentioned it’s taking “authorized motion” in opposition to a “false accusation”. Zhang was accused of bribery due to the availability of a “banquet dinner and lodge lodging” to the previous San Francisco public affairs chief who was visiting China, it mentioned.
Zhang didn’t seem on Monday at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket, the place his attorneys requested a choose to grant him bail forward of a authorized battle in opposition to extradition to america.
The 69-year-old, who’s price $2.3bn, based on Forbes journal, supplied to pay a safety of 15 million kilos ($18.4m).
Mark Summers, representing Zhang, mentioned 10 million kilos of the safety could be supplied by R&F. He added: “It can not go larger than that due to the itemizing guidelines [of] the Hong Kong inventory alternate.”
Zhang would supply the opposite 5 million kilos, Summers mentioned.
Decide John Zani granted bail and imposed a 24-hour curfew on Zhang. The choose additionally mentioned Zhang have to be handcuffed to a member of his court-appointed non-public safety workforce when he left his home for the needs of attending court docket.
In a separate securities submitting to the Hong Kong inventory alternate on Tuesday, R&F mentioned it didn’t present any safety cash in the direction of bail for Zhang in London, including it has no real interest in Z&L, which is owned by Zhang.
It mentioned that the case won’t have any materials adversarial impact on the corporate’s enterprise and operations.
R&F shares, nevertheless, tumbled greater than 13 p.c on Tuesday, underperforming a 0.3 p.c fall within the Hold Seng Mainland Properties Index.
