Liu Qiangdong, chairman and CEO of JD.com (NASDAQ: JD), is suspected of sexual assault. The US police have concluded the investigation and handed it over to the prosecution.

Prosecutors will evaluate all evidence to decide whether to charge.The victim's lawyer told Caixin reporter that the victim will cooperate with the prosecution.

At around 10:00 on September 20th, US Eastern Time (22:00 on the same day, Beijing time), Mike Freeman, the prosecutor of Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA, announced that the Minneapolis police had completed the preliminary investigation of Liu Qiangdong’s sexual harassment allegations.The investigation has now been transferred to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.Prosecutors will evaluate all evidence and decide whether to charge.

Hennepin County prosecutors said there was no clear deadline for when a decision on whether to charge would be made.As usual, no further comment will be made pending a decision.

Hang Jian, a partner of Hang Associates, one of the lawyers representing the victims who accused Liu Qiangdong, told Caixin reporters in a telephone interview that the victims had cooperated with the police during the investigation stage, and they will also cooperate.Cooperate with the prosecution.Hang Jian declined to comment further on whether the victim would testify if the prosecution decides to prosecute.

On September 20, Jingdong (NASDAQ: JD) stock price opened at US$27.2, and then fell to US$26.89 at 10 o'clock after the prosecution issued a statement. After several rounds of ups and downs, it closed at US$26.92, which was the same as the closing price of the previous trading day.It was flat, down 1.03% from the opening price of the day.

When a reporter from Caixin called Earl Gray, Liu Qiangdong’s lawyer, on September 20 about the latest developments in the case, his reply was: no comment.Earlier, Earl Gray told Caixin reporter that Liu Qiangdong will not be prosecuted. What I can tell you is that he is innocent and has done nothing wrong.

Zhou Dongfa, a criminal defense attorney in Minnesota, told Caixin reporters that based on the current progress of the case, it is very likely that the prosecutor will decide to prosecute.Because the police obviously have evidence to prove that the incident did happen, even if the parties do not cooperate, the police also have other witnesses and nurses to check, so the prosecution can prosecute based on probable cause.

Another lawyer of Liu Qiangdong, Joseph Friedberg (Joseph Friedberg) told Caixin reporter on September 3 that Liu Qiangdong was released within 18 hours of his arrest without bail and without charge., did not hand in the passport: under such circumstances, it will be a very, very rare case to be prosecuted again.

After the case is submitted to the prosecution, how long does it usually take to decide whether to prosecute?Chuck Laszewski, spokesman for the Hennepin County Prosecutor’s Office, said in an exclusive interview with a Caixin reporter on September 7 that it depends on the complexity of the case itself, and it will usually be decided within a few days, and generally notmore than a week.

He also emphasized that Liu Qiangdong will have to attend once the prosecution begins.

However, as the case progresses, there are still strict restrictions on what information can be released to the public -- and it can't be made public while prosecutors are reviewing documents and still making decisions.Lazewski said that if the prosecution decides to prosecute, the information that can be disclosed is the content of the criminal complaint submitted by the prosecution, and the rest of the information can only be disclosed when the trial begins; if the prosecution decides not to prosecute, the casehas been completed, then anyone can request the police to provide relevant documents.

Liu Qiangdong went to the United States from the end of August to the beginning of September as a student to participate in the one-week Global Doctor of Business Administration (GDBA) program at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

According to a Caixin reporter’s visit to Minneapolis earlier this month, the night before he was formally arrested on August 31, Liu Qiangdong ate with nearly 20 people at a Japanese restaurant in Uptown Minneapolis., and drank nearly 20 bottles of red wine, more than 20 bottles of beer and many bottles of sake, and many people were drunk.

Another person familiar with the matter revealed to the Caixin reporter that the victim was a Chinese student at the University of Minnesota. The case took place in an apartment off campus, and Liu Qiangdong was arrested on campus the next day.

Based on the information released by the police, Liu Qiangdong, as a suspect, was sent to the Hennepin County Jail by the Minneapolis police at 23:32 local time on August 31 for criminal sexual conduct.After a brief detention, he was released at around 16:00 local time on September 1.

The subsequent report released by the Minneapolis police showed that Liu Qiangdong was arrested in the middle of the night on August 31, and was suspected of sexual crimes involving rape.The potential criminal act occurred at 1 am on August 31.

According to the report, the alleged crime was graded as a felony (Felony), and the alleged crime was described as a sex crime-rape-accomplished (CSC ndash; Rape ndash; Completed).The legal number of this crime is F 609.342, which is a felony in the fifth degree of sexual offenses under Minnesota law.

Minnesota law divides sexual crimes into one to five levels from serious to light according to the severity of the case and the age of the victim, with level one being the most serious.The first-degree offense is usually for committing a sexual act against the victim in aggravated circumstances, or if the victim is under 13 years of age.A first-degree sex crime is a felony (Felony), and if convicted, the minimum sentence is 12 years and the maximum sentence is 30 years.

From 17:30 to 20:30 a few hours before the arrest, the registered students of this project had dinner at the Pazzaluna Italian restaurant in St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota.A person familiar with the matter also confirmed to Caixin reporter that Liu Qiangdong was in the restaurant at the time.Caixin was unable to confirm whether potential victims also ate there.Three hours after the dinner, Liu Qiangdong, who was arrested on campus, was formally sent to the Hennepin County Prison and was put in prison at 23:32.

On September 1, Liu Qiangdong was released.On September 4, Liu Qiangdong returned to China and appeared at the strategic cooperation site between JD.com and Ruyi Group.

BOE’s latest response to this matter was on the evening of September 7, Beijing time. In response to the alleged rape of CEO Liu Qiangdong in Minnesota, the United States, JD.com responded to the market in the form of four questions and four answers on its investor relations page..

JD.com stated that Liu Qiangdong has cooperated with the investigation of the Minneapolis law enforcement department and is willing to continue to cooperate if necessary.He also emphasized that Liu Qiangdong has restarted his work in JD.com, and the Minnesota incident has not and will not have any impact on JD.com's daily operations.

On September 4, three U.S. law firms separately announced the investigation of JD.com and invited JD stock investors to join the class action.Rosen Law Firm, Pomerantz LLP, and The Schall Law Firm all stated in their statements that the decline in stock prices caused losses to investors, and mentioned the arrest of Liu Qiangdong in the United States on suspicion of sexual assault.

JD.com’s listed companies may face class action lawsuits from shareholders. JD.com said that no lawsuits have occurred so far. If there are, we will fight to the end.■