A Shanghai real estate tycoon, who was once one of China's richest men, was sentenced yesterday to 16 years in prison following a trial for bribery, tax receipt forgery and embezzlement, state media reported.
Zhou Zhengyi (
Xinhua news agency reported Zhou's 16-year sentence after a closed hearing yesterday, citing unnamed sources at the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court.
Financial magazine Caijing said Zhou also was fined 3.35 million yuan (US$453,000).
Zhou's trial was held a little over a month ago.
Zhou's lawyer, Ma Shuning, had switched off his mobile phone and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Zhou, also known as Chau Ching-ngai, started out as a noodle vendor but eventually amassed a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine in 2002 at US$320 million. He is believed to have since lost much of his wealth.
Zhou's wife, Mo Yuk-ping (
Four of Zhou's former jailers were sentenced to prison for taking bribes from the tycoon in exchange for giving him access to a phone, extra visits from friends and family, and other special treatment during his earlier incarceration. The former director of the prison received 11 years and the others each got two years.
Zhou's re-arrest came as investigators were wrapping up the wider probe into alleged bribery and other abuses connected to the misuse of city pension funds.
A beauty queen who pulled out of the Miss South Africa competition when her nationality was questioned has said she wants to relocate to Nigeria, after coming second in the Miss Universe pageant while representing the West African country. Chidimma Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian, was crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania and was runner-up to Denmark’s Victoria Kjar Theilvig in Mexico on Saturday night. The 23-year-old law student withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition in August, saying that she needed to protect herself and her family after the government alleged that her mother had stolen the identity of a South
BELT-TIGHTENING: Chinese investments in Cambodia are projected to drop to US$35 million in 2026 from more than US$420 million in 2021 At a ceremony in August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet knelt to receive blessings from saffron-robed monks as fireworks and balloons heralded the breaking of ground for a canal he hoped would transform his country’s economic fortunes. Addressing hundreds of people waving the Cambodian flag, Hun Manet said China would contribute 49 percent to the funding of the Funan Techo Canal that would link the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand and reduce Cambodia’s shipping reliance on Vietnam. Cambodia’s government estimates the strategic, if contentious, infrastructure project would cost US$1.7 billion, nearly 4 percent of the nation’s annual GDP. However, months later,
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
The Philippine Department of Justice yesterday labeled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the nation’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed. “The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Philippine Undersecretary of Justice Jesse Andres said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind
RSS