Duo caught in 1.3b yuan case amid crackdown on shadow lending
Updated: 2011-11-03 08:30
By Yu Ran (China Daily)
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WENZHOU, Zhejiang - A local couple, suspected of illegally raising 1.3 billion yuan ($204 million), was arrested, local prosecutors said.
The couple, at the center of China's recent crackdown on shadow lending in Wenzhou, were natives of Yongjia county in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.
The wife, Shi Xiaojie, was suspected of illegally accepting bills worth 500 million yuan and illegally raising funds of 700 million yuan. The husband, Liu Xiaosong, was suspected of illegally pooling public savings of 70 million yuan from more than 30 people. They were arrested on Oct 27, according to Shao Lulu, spokeswoman of the People's Procuratorate of Yongjia County.
Earlier, rumors were rife that the couple had run away.
The case was widely watched, as China is cracking down on underground banking in Wenzhou, a coastal city known for its buoyant private sector. The city's businesses, however, recently experienced a severe capital shortage amid the country's tightening economic policies and a slowdown of the global market. That caused some business owners to down their shutters and exposed local businesses' reliance on shadow lending.
After graduating from college, Shi, 29, worked as a cashier in her uncle's company, Shunji Group Co Ltd, a private construction company headquartered in Yongjia with a registered capital of 300 million yuan.
From 2007 she allegedly started to raise funds from relatives and friends in the name of the company. She used the money to give shark loans, accept bills and buy luxury properties and cars.
But Shunji Group said in a local newspaper on Sept 24 that it had nothing to do with the misconduct of Shi.
Shi married Liu, 34, in early 2008. Liu, also a Yongjia native, had experienced some business failures.
However, a year later, the couple was leading a luxurious life, having bought several upscale houses in Yongjia and downtown Wenzhou, and owned two Porsche cars.
After her arrest, Shi admitted that she owed 370 million yuan at the end of last year.
To maintain the capital flow, Shi, since November, purchased acceptance bills worth more than 500 million yuan and sold them at a lower price to repay debts. But her capital chain broke in September, and the police stepped in.
"It is hard to reclaim all the money as Shi probably had some hidden bank accounts," according to insiders quoted by Zhejiang's Today Morning Express. Shao, the spokeswoman from the local procuratorate, said that the case was being investigated.
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