Although Liu Qiangdong, the founder of JD.com, was released by the US police, he is in the state of being released pending formal charges.(Reuters)
Police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA stated that Liu Qiangdong was arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct on the evening of August 31, central time in the United States, and was released at 4 pm on September 1. The current state of release is pending formal charges.
(Beijing/Houston Comprehensive News) Liu Qiangdong, the Chinese e-commerce giant and chairman and CEO of JD.com Group, was released after being briefly detained by the police for 16 hours in Minnesota last Friday local time on suspicion of sexual assault. He returned to Beijing yesterday.China.
The Minneapolis (Minneapolis) police in Minnesota, USA stated that Liu Qiangdong was arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct on the evening of August 31 (last Friday), Central Standard Time, and was arrested on September 1 (last Saturday).) was released at 4 p.m., and the current status is released pending complaint.
The police stated that Liu Qiangdong's personal freedom of movement was not restricted after his release, but it did not mean that he was innocent, and the police were still investigating the case.
According to China News Agency, the Hennepin County Prison Administration in Minnesota provided the US media with frontal photos of a suspect named Liu Qiang Dong who was involved in a sexual assault case on Sunday, showing that Liu Qiangdong was wearing a suspected prison uniform.orange top.
Regarding the above news, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference yesterday that the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago is paying close attention to relevant information and is understanding and verifying with relevant US authorities.
Sina Technology quoted a statement issued by JD Group yesterday: We learned that Liu Qiangdong was taken away by the Minneapolis police for investigation on August 31, 2018, and Mr. Liu was released shortly thereafter.He has not been charged during this time and has not been ordered to post any bail.At present, he has returned to China to carry out his work normally.
According to reports, Minneapolis Police Department spokesman Elder (John Elder) said that the police arrested people named Liu and Qiang Dong, and the information obtained also included the date of birth, and pointed out that the case is still under investigation.No relevant information available.He also would not confirm whether the suspect was a Chinese entrepreneur.
Elder pointed out that the suspect's current personal freedom of movement is not restricted. He can go to New York or China, but he must cooperate when the police contact him.
According to information on the website of the Heniping County Government, because the police had reasonable grounds to accuse him of sexual assault, the above-mentioned suspect was arrested by law enforcement officers on the evening of August 31, and was taken into custody at 11:32 that night, and at 4:05 pm on September 1 the next day.freed.The bail information column is marked as zero; the charge status column is marked as released and pending prosecution.
Whether to prosecute Liu Qiangdong depends on the results of the police investigation
The county government website also shows that the above-mentioned suspect was born on March 10, 1973, which is said to match Liu Qiangdong's identity date.
Regarding Liu Qiangdong's need not to pay bail, Elder emphasized: Failure to pay bail does not mean that he is innocent, and of course it does not mean that he is guilty.Detailed results will have to wait for the conclusion of the investigation to be released.
Judging from the judicial process, whether the prosecution will prosecute Liu Qiangdong next will depend on the results of the police investigation.Prosecutors can charge misdemeanors or felonies, or they may decide not to charge and close the case.
Hong Kong 01 quoted Zhou Dongfa, a senior criminal lawyer in Minnesota yesterday, pointing out that the state actually divides sexual assault crimes into five levels.Mild physical contact, etc.Zhou Dongfa believes that bail at zero dollars will only be allowed if the charges are relatively minor.
Yesterday, the BBC Chinese website quoted Wang Chang, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, as saying that although Liu Qiangdong was released after being questioned, legally he is not innocent, and now he can only wait for the results of the police investigation.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Liu Qiangdong was questioned, arrested and detained by the local police during a business trip in Minnesota.Reuters quoted the University of Minnesota yesterday as saying that Liu Qiangdong is a student of the Doctor of Business Administration program jointly organized by the school and Tsinghua University; he has been training locally in the past week.
Expected to put pressure on JD.com's share price
According to Lianhe News yesterday, the news of Liu Qiangdong's involvement in the sexual assault case is expected to put pressure on JD.com's stock price.JD.com's shares have plunged 40 percent since hitting a record high of US$50.68 (S$69.50) in January.Some investors said that they would sell the company's stock today or buy short positions in JD.com.
Nevertheless, Bloomberg Industry Research analysts predicted in a report yesterday that the arrest of JD.com’s chairman and CEO in the United States should not have an immediate impact on the company’s operations.
