Wanting Qu, pop star girlfriend of Vancouver mayor, says she trusts Chinese justice as mother faces possible execution
‘My mother will surely be given a fair and just verdict’, says singer Wanting Qu, as mainland prosecutors push for death penalty in 350m yuan corruption case
Vancouver-based pop star Wanting Qu, the girlfriend of the city’s mayor, has released a carefully legalistic statement on the plight of her mother, saying she trusts Chinese justice, after it was revealed that mainland prosecutors want the death penalty for the former Harbin city official.
Qu Zhang Mingjie, 60, who was in charge of a major 2009 transfer of state land in Heilongjiang that allegedly saw it illicitly end up in the hands of a property developer, is accused of embezzling 350 million yuan (C$69 million, US$53 million), bribery and abusing power.
The South China Morning Post’s Hongcouver blog, citing state media accounts of her July 19-20 trial, reported on Tuesday that Zhang’s prosecutors want her executed.
“My mother will surely be given a fair and just verdict,” wrote Qu, 32, who is dating Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, 51.
Zhang’s lawyer has said the case against her is based on an illegally obtained confession. She has pleaded not guilty.
“I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my fans and netizens who have followed and supported my mother in her case,” wrote Qu. “350 million yuan was what the procuratorate said my mother had embezzled. They had the right to indict her. But it will be the court to decide eventually if she’s guilty or not.
Qu concluded by saying: “I trust the court and the law... Once again, I sincerely thank all of you for encouraging me in this period of time. Thank you!” She signed off with a prayer emoji.
Zhang is alleged to have conspired with a real estate developer to doctor the terms of the transfer of a state-owned farm, splitting the profits. Chinese media reports said the alleged scam left hundreds of impoverished live-in workers in appalling conditions, as the farm’s new owners halted health and pension benefits, withheld resettlement payments, and shut down heating for their dormitories in the bitterly cold region.