A Guangdong man wrongfully detained for more than a year as a suspect in a fraud case has been awarded 9,399 yuan (HK$8,740) in compensation.
Guangzhou media reports said it was the first compensation ruling made by the Guangzhou City Intermediate Court since the National Compensation Act was passed on January 1, 1995.
The sum awarded on Tuesday to Ruan Wenjian, 32, was considerably less than the 12,542 yuan he had been seeking in lost wages for the period he was held.
A demand for 300,000 yuan in compensation for psychological damage was rejected.
Wang Chenguang, associate professor of law at Hong Kong City University, said: 'The ruling is significant. The public security authorities will have to exercise their power in accordance with the law.' Mr Ruan was suspected of involvement in a fraud case and arrested by the Public Security Bureau in Huangpu district on June 9, 1996.
He was released on June 13 last year after the bureau failed to provide evidence of his alleged crime.