French police deny report that Chinese billionaire and HNA chairman Wang Jian committed suicide
- French newspaper claims Wang committed suicide, possibly because of business worries or pressure from Chinese authorities
- Chief investigator says there is no evidence to support the claim
French investigators on Thursday denied a report that a Chinese billionaire who fell to his death in the south of France last year committed suicide or was killed, seeking to end speculation about the case.
The death of tycoon Wang Jian, the HNA chairman who plunged from a high wall during a holiday in France, was ruled an accident by French judicial authorities after a criminal investigation by police.
Exiled Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui, who has donated US$100 million to investigate alleged crimes by Beijing authorities, sparked fresh rumours last November when he claimed Wang might have been killed because “he knew too much”.
On Thursday, the French newspaper Liberation published a front-page investigation into the death which ruled out foul play, but claimed that Wang had committed suicide, possibly because of business worries or pressure from Chinese authorities.
Hubert Meriaux, the police officer who led the investigation in the picturesque village of Bonnieux, said that there was “no indication to conclude that it was a suicide”.