Lawyers for detained Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu warn authorities could ‘destroy’ Dawu Group under laws targeting criminal gangs
- The businessman was detained along with family members and senior executives in a case that highlights concerns about legal protections for entrepreneurs
- His family has assembled a high-powered defence team, which warned that a business which had contributed much to society was now at risk of collapse
A total of 30 people, including Sun, were taken into custody by police from Gaobeidian city in Hebei province over a land dispute and other disagreements between Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group and a local state farm.
His legal term has warned that the authorities could “destroy and take over” the business using laws targeting “criminal gangs” as a result of the dispute.
According to two open letters published by Sun’s family members and the defence team over the weekend, Sun and six senior executives from the business are being held under residential surveillance, five have been granted bail, and 18 are in detention centers in the Baoding area.
The arrest of Sun and the investigation into his business has heightened concerns about the protections available to private entrepreneurs, which many business leaders have warned are fragile despite repeated promises from the authorities to protect the private sector.