China

Chinese tycoon and Xi Jinping critic jailed for 18 years for corruption

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Chinese tycoon and Xi Jinping critic jailed for 18 years for corruption

A police officer gestures before an escorted police van carrying Chinese property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang arrives at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on September 11, 2020, ahead of Ren's case hearing. - Ren was detained after penning an essay fiercely critical of President Xi Jinping's response to the coronavirus outbreak, and was placed under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law", according to an anti-graft watchdog in April. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)

NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP

Human rights campaigners accuse Xi and China's Communist Party of using corruption charges as a way to silence dissent

A Chinese real estate tycoon and outspoken critic of President Xi Jinping was jailed for 18 years on Tuesday, for “corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds,” a court statement said.

Ren Zhiqiang – once an elite among the ruling Communist Party’s inner circle – disappeared from the public eye in March, shortly after penning an essay that was fiercely critical of Xi’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Tuesday’s verdict said Ren embezzled almost 50 million yuan ($7.4 million) of public funds and accepted bribes worth 1.25 million yuan, according to a statement from the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court.

It said the 69-year-old “voluntarily and truthfully confessed all his crimes,” and would not appeal the court’s decision.

He was also fined 4.2 million yuan ($620,000).

Must Read

Rights campaigners accuse Xi and the Communist Party of using corruption charges as a way to silence dissent.

Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and detaining hundreds of activists and lawyers.

Ren, the former chairman of state-owned property developer Huayuan Group, earned the nickname “Big Cannon” for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese leadership.

The Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog launched an investigation into Ren in April, and the trial opened at a Beijing court on September 11.

His influential blog on the Twitter-like Weibo platform attracted millions of followers before his account was closed by authorities in 2016 after he repeatedly called for greater freedom of the press. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!