A 21-year-old woman at the University of Minnesota said she was in a black car late at night on August 30, trying to stop JD.com CEO Liu Qiangdong from taking off her clothes, Reuters reported.
I begged him, lsquo;don't do that, you have a wife and kids, rsquo; the Chinese woman told police, according to a recording of the interview heard by Reuters.He doesn't listen to me.
After the woman's friend alerted authorities, Minneapolis police responded at about 3 a.m. about an ongoing assault involving Liu at the woman's luxury apartment, police records show.Police officers concluded after investigation that no crime had occurred.Exactly what the woman and Liu told police was not made public at the time, but Reuters had previously reported that she feared retaliation from Liu if she filed a lawsuit herself.
Less than 24 hours later, the woman called the police again with the help of a university administrator and made it clear that she had been raped by Liu Qiangdong.The Chinese business executive was arrested that night.Liu Qiangdong has always maintained his innocence through his attorney.He was released after being detained for about 17 hours and flew back to China hours later.There is no extradition treaty between China and the United States.
According to reports, local prosecutors are studying evidence, which is expected to break the deadlock between the two sides.Among the issues being considered by the Hennepin County prosecutor's office, Reuters has learned: disagreements about what happened that night, police's initial determination that no crime occurred and the woman's initial hesitancy to prosecute Liu.decision.
One of Liu's lawyers, Jill Brisbois, responded in an email that Liu's innocence will become clear as more evidence is revealed.We are extremely disappointed that Reuters was willing to report on unsubstantiated information from apparently motivated anonymous sources, while Liu Qiangdong was unable to defend himself because of the judicial process, she wrote.
The girl's lawyer, Wil Florin, declined to make his client available for comment.The girl, now 22, hired Florin four days after the incident.
In response to questions, Florin said that the case is simple: Liu Qiangdong used force to have sex without the consent of the other party, and it is understandable that the party concerned initially hesitated to prosecute.No one can fully understand the initial emotional storm a rape victim goes through, Florin said, and reluctance, fear and confusion are all common.
When asked whether his client was planning to file a civil lawsuit, Florin said that our legal intention against Mr. Liu Qiangdong and others will be announced in due course.
According to Reuters, some legal experts said that the initial reluctance of victims to tell the full truth may affect the willingness of prosecutors to prosecute, because they worry about how it will be impressed on jurors.
The decision to prosecute has a lot to do with a victim's initial reaction, which is unfortunate, said Roger Canaff, a former sex crimes prosecutor in New York.Others said the prosecution should still be able to prosecute, for example with the help of expert witnesses.
Prosecutors can still educate jurors about issues of retaliation, avoidance and shame, said Benjamin Andreozzi, an attorney who often represents assault victims.
The prosecutor's decision could affect JD.com.After Liu Qiangdong’s arrest, JD.com’s share price has fallen by more than a third.Liu Qiangdong still has a firm grip on the company he founded.JD.com's 2017 net revenue reached US$55.7 billion, and its partners include well-known companies such as Alphabet's Google, Wal-Mart and Tencent Holdings.
Both the prosecution and the girl are considering what legal action to take, and Reuters has uncovered new details about the night and aftermath.
Liu Qiangdong, 45, went to the University of Minnesota at the end of August to participate in a doctor of business administration program for Chinese executives.Participants also included Tencent CEO Ma Huateng and Joyo Group chairman Li Hua, according to the university.
According to the recording of the conversation between the girl and the police, after the incident, a personal assistant of Liu Qiangdong asked Li Hua to mediate the matter.Li Hua did not respond to a request for comment.Representatives from the University of Minnesota declined to discuss the case, citing student privacy laws.
Hours before the alleged rape, the girl was seated next to Mr. Liu at a dinner at a Japanese restaurant.Near the end of the dinner, the girl said she was drunk and needed someone to drive her home, according to a recording of the police conversation.
Florin said a woman named Alice Zhang (Alice Zhang) claimed to be Liu Qiangdong's personal assistant.The girl in question told the police that Assistant Zhang helped her get into a car, and then got into the car with Liu Qiangdong.
The girl said that Zhang initially tried to sit between her and Liu, but Liu told Zhang to stay out of the way and started touching the girl in the back seat.Zhang, who sat in the front, turned up the radio volume and folded up the rearview mirror, according to Florin and a person familiar with the matter.
When Reuters called Zhang on his private mobile phone in China, the woman who answered the phone denied that it was Zhang and hung up after hearing a description of the story.Lawyers for Liu Qiangdong did not respond to questions about this or other requests for comment.
The girl told police she was terrified and intoxicated, not quite sure where she was.She thought she could sit down with Liu Qiangdong and talk, and persuade him to send her home.
lsquo; I know you are a good person rsquo;, she said she said to Liu Qiangdong.lsquo;Calm down first so you realize what you are doing.rsquo;
The girl told the police that when they arrived at the girl's residence, Liu Qiangdong told the driver and Zhang that he would go back soon.According to a person familiar with the matter, Liu Qiangdong stayed in the girl's apartment for about four hours, took a shower, and then lay naked on the girl's bed.The girl said she kept rejecting Liu Qiangdong and tried to get him to leave.
He tried to pull me into the bathroom, she said in a recorded police interview.I resisted with all my might.
She told police that Liu eventually pinned her down and raped her while she was still wearing some clothes, according to people familiar with the matter.The girl later told police she kept the semen stains on the sheets as evidence.According to the girl's interview record at the police station, another assistant of Liu Qiangdong contacted her the day after the incident.
According to Reuters, this WeChat chat record, which Florin said was real, said the girl involved told the assistant named Vivian Yang that she wanted to talk about what happened yesterday.She told Yang she wanted justice and was wondering whether to get a lawyer.In the subsequent police interview, the girl said that she thought Liu Qiangdong should apologize to her.According to sources familiar with the matter, the above-mentioned WeChat chat records were also shown to the police during the investigation.
The girl in question told the police that Yang suggested that she meet Li Hua, Chairman of the Board of Excellence Group, that night.
You talk about your side, and then we talk about ours, Yang told the girl during the conversation, which was recorded by a friend of the girl, and Reuters heard the recordings.I think Mr. Li Hua should talk to you first, a person we both can trust,He can communicate with you first.
Reuters could not confirm whether Li Hua was told anything about the matter that prompted Yang to offer Li Hua as an intermediary, whether Li Hua agreed to do so, or whether he was aware of the plan.
The girl told police she declined the offer, saying she only wanted to chat with Liu Qiangdong.According to chat records, she expressed the hope that a friend would accompany her.
Yang eventually agreed to bring Liu Qiangdong to meet the girl at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, WeChat chat records show.When Liu Qiangdong arrived, the girl was making a statement to the police.Police arrested Liu Qiangdong around 11 p.m.
The next day, at around 4 pm on September 1, Liu Qiangdong was released and awaiting investigation.Yang, who has already returned to China, asked the reporter to find the company's public relations department.A JD.com spokesman referred Reuters to previous public statements.
