The Hongcouver | Corrupt Chinese tycoon Ni Ritao, linked to infamous scandal, lied to Canadian court about secret bribery conviction
An SCMP investigation into mainland paper magnate Ni Ritao has revealed how he lied to a Vancouver court about his convictions for graft and forgery, falsely claiming he had been fully exonerated
A corrupt Chinese tycoon, who is trying to regain control of investments in British Columbia that triggered one of the mainland’s biggest economic scandals, lied to a Canadian court about his bribery conviction, legal documents obtained by the South China Morning Post reveal.
The mainland and Canadian documents relate to paper magnate Ni Ritao, a key figure in the downfall of former energy minister and senior Chinese economic planner Liu Tienan, who was himself sentenced to life in prison for corruption in 2014.
But Ni’s own legal fate has been shrouded in mystery. After he emerged from more than two years in Chinese detention in March 2015, Ni told BC’s Supreme Court in an affidavit that he had enjoyed “full exoneration”, having assisted authorities with their investigation of “an allegation of corruption against a senior government official”.
Since my full exoneration ... I have also applied for a Canadian Visa
“The allegation of corruption was not against me,” Ni said in the affidavit, signed on September 23, 2015, as part of a damages lawsuit he has filed against former employees of his Canadian firms, and others.
He said: “Since my full exoneration and with the restoration of my right to travel abroad, I have also applied for a Canadian visa in order to be able to travel to attend proceedings in Vancouver.”