China’s R&F property tycoon Zhang Li agrees to US extradition in California bribery case
- The ex-government official who rose to lead one of China’s largest real estate firms allegedly gave kickbacks to win permits for a project in San Francisco
- Zhang had courted controversy last year when he avoided jail by agreeing with a court to lock himself in his five-bedroom London penthouse
The co-founder of Chinese property developer Guangzhou R&F Properties agreed to be extradited from London to the US to face criminal allegations of paying bribes to secure contracts in California.
Zhang Li “consents to extradition to USA on conditional bail”, according to a UK court filing.
Zhang, a former government official who rose to lead one of China’s largest real estate firms, was arrested last year at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Singapore.
The US law enforcement agencies alleged Zhang provided kickbacks and funds to San Francisco officials to win permits for construction of a multi million-dollar mixed-use residential and commercial development project.
Zhang, 70-years-old, then paid for accommodation and gifts when an official travelled to China on holiday, the US alleges.
The total bribes paid are estimated to be between US$40,000 and US$70,000.
He courted controversy last year when he avoided jail by agreeing with a court to lock himself in his own London luxury tower block’s five-bedroom penthouse apartment and paid £15 million (US$19.1 million) for conditional bail.
R&F previously said that it planned to fight the “false allegations” against Zhang.
Lawyers for Zhang did not respond to a request for comment.
