Chinese billionaire and JD.com CEO Richard Liu will not face sexual assault charges, say Minnesota prosecutors
- He was arrested August 31 on suspicion of felony rape and released
- Liu expresses ‘deep regret and remorse’ after prosecutors decide it is ‘highly unlikely’ any charge could have been proven beyond reasonable doubt
Chinese billionaire Richard Liu Qiangdong will not face felony rape charges in the US as prosecutors announced on Friday that their investigation turned up insufficient evidence to follow through.
Liu, the 45-year-old founder of Beijing-based e-commerce site JD.com, was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 31 after a woman accused him of rape while he was attending a university business programme in August. Liu was released the next day and returned to China hours later.
“It was determined there were profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to a statement released by Minnesota’s Hennepin County Attorney’s office.
“As we reviewed surveillance video, text messages, police body camera video and witness statements, it became clear that we could not meet our burden of proof and, therefore, we could not bring charges,” the statement quoted Hennepin County lawyer Mike Freeman as saying.
“Because we do not want to re-victimise the young woman, we will not be going into detail,” Freeman said.
Liu would have faced a prison sentence of up to 30 years if he was charged and convicted. JD.com has said Liu was falsely accused. The company’s shares plunged nearly 16 per cent in two days of trading on the Nasdaq exchange after Liu’s arrest, and have since fallen another 24 per cent.