Minnesota prosecutors on Friday said they will not charge the chief executive officer of China's JD.com Inc, Richard Liu, after he was accused of rape by a University of Minnesota student during a recent U.S. visit.
Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman said there were "profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
In a statement, Freeman said that after an investigation by Minneapolis police, it became clear his office could not meet its burden of proof, and therefore could not bring charges.
"Because we do not want to re-victimize the young woman, we will not be going into detail," Freeman said.
Liu, who maintains tight control of JD.com, was released without charge about 17 hours after he was arrested on Aug. 31 and quickly returned to China, where he has continued business as usual as CEO of the company. His representatives have maintained his innocence after the woman from China studying at the University of Minnesota accused him of rape.
The case had attracted extreme interest in China.
Liu, also known as Liu Qiangdong, grew JD.com from a humble electronics stall to an e-commerce giant with 2017 net revenue of $55.7 billion, partnering with Alphabet Incs, Google, Walmart Inc and Tencent Holdings Ltd.
The decision not to bring charges was a big relief for the 45-year-old Chinese billionaire.
from Top News & Analysis https://cnb.cx/2SaE7hn
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