According to reports, Chinese billionaire Liu Qiangdong, chief executive of e-business giant Jingdong online Shopping Mall (JD.com), was arrested in the United States on suspicion of improper sexual behavior and has now been released. The company called the incident "false rumors" and "false allegations" on Chinese social media.
According to judicial records from (Hennepin), Henneping County, Minnesota, a man named Liu was exposed online.
The man of Qiangdong was charged with "sexual crime" and taken away on the night of last Friday (August 31) and released on Saturday afternoon. < New York Times > The Wall Street Journal reported that Liu Qiangdong, chief executive and founder of Jingdong, a Chinese technology heavyweight company, was arrested in the United States.
Liu Qiangdong`s wife is Zhang Zetian, the Chinese internet celebrity`s milk tea sister, and their marriage has been widely watched in China.
Jingdong group Sina Weibo official account "Jingdong spokesman" released on Sept. 2: "We are concerned that some Weibo users are spreading some false rumors about Mr. Liu Qiangdong. This statement is as follows: Mr. Liu Qiangdong encountered false allegations during his business activities in the United States. After investigation by local police, no misconduct was found and he will continue his itinerary as originally planned. We will take the necessary legal action against false reports or lies. "
< New York Times > claimed to have contacted a Jingdong spokesman after that, asking when Liu Qiangdong would return to China, and declined to respond.
Liu Qiangdong, born on March 10, 1973, was arrested on Friday night at 11:32 local time on suspicion of committing a crime against sexual behavior and released at 4:05 the following day, according to the website of the local Hennepin County Sheriff.
John Elder, Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer, said a man named Liu Qiangdong, (Liu Qiangdong), had been arrested and released on suspicion of improper sexual behavior, but he said the case remained unresolved.
"the investigation is still under way," Mr. Elder said. The individual was released pending charges against (pending formal complaint). Minnesota investigators are said to be able to hold suspects for up to 36 hours before filing charges, release them and continue to investigate.
"We can charge him at any time before the statute of limitations expires," Mr. Elder said. According to the details of the crime, sexual crime`s conduct could be a misdemeanor or felony of misdemeanour.
Minneapolis Police declined to comment on Mr. Liu`s whereabouts. Police say Mr. Liu can leave the area and the country at any time.
"We are confident that we will be able to contact him when necessary," Mr. Elder said.
In addition, the University of Minnesota says Mr. Liu is a student in the university`s doctorate in business administration, a business education program for China`s top business leaders. Participants in the program took part in a residential program in Minneapolis last week, the university said. The university said it could not comment on any specific charges against its students.
An online screenshot of the social app dialogue described the victim as a Chinese female student at the University of Minnesota, but the news has not been confirmed.
Earlier this year, Mr. Liu Qiangdong applied to Australia`s court for identity secrecy in an attempt to sort out a relationship with a case in Australia. But it was rejected-a Chinese man accused of a woman in sexual invasion, a Sydney hotel, in 2015, after the two met at a party at Mr. Liu`s home in Sydney. The woman was taken to the hotel after she was drunk at the party.
Jingdong is another Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba`s strong rival. Its Nasdaq-listed shares are down 28% this year, but the company says its active users in the past 12 months have grown 22%, to more than 310 million.
Jingdong JD.com opened its first office in Australia earlier this year. Mr Liu has said Chinese consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality products from Australia and New Zealand.
Bubs (ASX:BUB), the Australian infant milk powder and accessories company that Liu Qiangdong`s wife, Zhang Zetian, invested in, fell close to 7 percent at the start of trading yesterday. BUBs shares fell 6.3 percent to A $0.67 by the end of the day.
