Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Search
Search:
China police say tycoon under investigation
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - 2 hours 55 minutes ago
SHANGHAI, China - Electrical appliance tycoon Wong Kwong-yu, one of China's wealthiest men, is under investigation for alleged involvement in economic crimes, police confirmed Thursday, ending several days of speculation regarding his whereabouts.
"We can confirm for you the news that Wong is being held for investigation by Beijing police in connection with economic crimes," a spokesman for Bejing's police bureau said. The spokesman, who like many Chinese officials would only give his surname, Zhao, said he could provide no more details.
It was the first official confirmation by authorities of widespread reports that Wong, founder and chairman of Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings, China's biggest appliance chain, is being questioned for alleged share trading violations or other crimes.
At 39, Wong, who is also known as Huang Guangyu, is one of China's richest people, with wealth estimated at about $6.3 billion. He and his wife Du Juan, who is a company executive director, hold a 39.48 percent stake in Gome's listed unit, according to the information from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
According to the financial magazine Caijing and other state-run publications, Wong was detained by police last week during a probe into allegations of share price manipulation involving a company controlled by his brother.
Gome has said little so far. It suspended its shares from trading in Hong Kong as of Monday, and issued only a terse statement saying it was looking into reports about Wong, but said its own operations were not affected. Gome said it had received no legal notices from the authorities.
In the absense of official comment, local media have reported extensively on Wong, whose career has been one of the country's most spectacular entrepreneurial success stories.
Wong was born to a poor family in the southern province of Guangdong. He moved to Beijing as a teenager and started out selling clothing, but later switched to appliances. Gome now operates more than hundreds of stores and employs about 300,000 people.
It's not the first time the tycoon has faced legal scrutiny. An investigation into an allegedly illegal loan to Wong was dropped last year, and Gome announced in June that it was facing a tax probe, but the results of that investigation were not announced.
Surfacing at a time when many in China and elsewhere are primed for indignation over financial shenanigans, the story is getting front-page coverage. In a place like China, where the media is state controlled, such intense attention may not portend well for Wong.
So far, there is no sign that the company itself is facing any financial crisis.
Gome, whose name in Chinese means "country beautiful," recently agreed to a deal with Dell Inc. to sell Dell computers through its outlets.
The company released third-quarter earnings on Monday showing the company had more than doubled its net profit from a year earlier in the first nine months of the year. Gome's shares closed Friday at 1.12 Hong Kong dollars, down nearly 80 percent from their 12-month high of HK$5.37.
Apart from Gome, his flagship company, Wong has extensive real estate holdings and has dabbled in private equity. Last year investment house Bear Sterns announced a $500 million investment fund venture with Wong, but it was unclear if that project ever took off.
The financial status of Wong's mostly privately held real estate ventures is unclear, but the recent economic downturn has left many in the industry short of cash, said Xiang Chunchong, a leasing manager at Shanghai Tomson Real Estate Corp.
"This is no small matter. Gome's suppliers will likely be pushing for their payments, which could put the company in a bind," Xiang said.
___
Associated Press researcher Ji Chen contributed to this report.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: China's Economy
HK index rises on China's rate cutAP - 2 hours 9 minutes ago
TOPWRAP 3-China downturn deepens, eurozone woes could lingerReuters - 2 hours 12 minutes ago
China shares slightly higher, rate-cut rally fadesAP - 2 hours 24 minutes ago
China police say tycoon under investigationAP - 2 hours 55 minutes ago
Related Articles: Business
German carmaker Daimler may cut some working hoursAP - 27 minutes ago
FTSE 100 up 65.75 at 4,218.44AP - 30 minutes ago
UK house price crash eases in NovemberAP - 39 minutes ago
UK electronics retailer DSG posts 1H net lossAP - 40 minutes ago
Pakistan-based militant group denies Mumbai attacksReuters - 50 minutes ago
Related Full Coverage
China Economy
china economy
All Full Coverage
Most Popular – Business
Viewed
Fed, Treasury offer $800 bln more to credit markets
Michael Jackson strikes 'amicable' deal with Arab sheikh
Love handles increase death risk: study
US clears Bank of America deal for Merrill Lynch
US president's mother 'doing very well' in hospital: Laura Bush
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular