US police release details of alleged sexual assault by JD’s founder, drawing public attention

Source:Global Times Published: 2019/7/25 21:54:50

Minneapolis police released a 149-page file containing all the evidence related to a sexual assault accusation against Richard Liu Qiangdong, founder of e-commerce giant JD.com on Wednesday. 

Police in Minneapolis, USA, arrested Liu August 31 on suspension of criminal sexual conduct. 

The file includes police reports, 911 transcripts, interview transcripts, previously unseen recordings of police interviews, text messages and high-definition surveillance videos from the woman's rented apartment, restaurants and the University of Minnesota business school. 

The alleged victim, Liu himself, Liu's assistants, a limo driver and other witnesses all offered conflicting versions.

In his interview with an investigator, Liu Qiangdong said the woman invited him to her apartment, where she initiated sex acts and helped him shower. He said it was clear the woman, Liu Jingyao, "want to make love with me."

The alleged victim was asked in her interview how long the rape lasted.

"I don't know. About two minutes," she said in the September 2018 police report.

The files sparked intense speculation on Chinese mainland social media.

Those two minutes cost JD $7 billion in market value and massive damage to Liu Qiangdong's family and wife, Juliet2046 posted on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo platform.

The extramarital affair was "a moral stain on his wife and the reputation of his company," posted another typical user.

Many expressed doubts about the alleged victim.

Liu Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit in a Minneapolis court on April 16, alleging she was raped by Richard Liu Qiangdong in August. 

The lawsuit came about four months after Minnesota prosecutors declined to file charges due to evidentiary problems. 

She told police she wanted Liu to apologize and threatened to go to the media if she didn't hear from Liu's attorney.

The suit is expected to go to trial in mid-September, media reported.

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