Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman ruled Friday that JD.com Chief Executive Officer Richard Liu will not be charged in connection with a rape case filed against him. The decision was based on a three-month investigation conducted by U.S. officials.
The ruling was made after the court reviewed surveillance video, text messages, police body camera, and witness statements, according to Freeman's statement which was reported by Bloomberg. The court said the case filed against Liu could not meet a "burden of proof" that could warrant criminal charges. It added that it would no longer detail the result of the investigation to protect the young woman and for her not to be "re-victimized."
Liu's lawyer, Jill Brisbois, on the other hand, argued that what happened between the girl and the CEO was consensual but that the girl made "repeated demands for money" afterward. The girl allegedly threatened to make her allegations public if Liu will not give her money.
The court's decision was a complete pivot from what a Reuter's exclusive report had previously revealed.
In November, Reuters claimed to have seen accounts from witnesses and the alleged rape victim herself on what actually happened on the night of Aug. 30.
The then 21-year-old University of Minnesota student revealed she asked for a help to go home when she got drunk that night. Alice Zhang, who reportedly introduced herself as Liu's personal assistant, helped the woman inside his chauffeured black car.
One interesting bit revealed from the Reuter's report was that Liu attended the business administration program at the University with Ma Huateng, the billionaire chief executive of Tencent and Li Hua, the billionaire chairman of Excellence Real Estate Group Ltd.
Back in the car, Zhang had reportedly sat the girl away from Liu but the JD.com CEO told the assistant not to decide for him. At the back of the car, Liu allegedly started trying to strip the girl off her clothes. As this happens, Zhang reportedly turned the volume up of the car radio and flipped up the car's rearview mirror. Zhang sat at the passenger's seat.
When they arrived at the girl's place, Liu reportedly told the driver and his assistant to wait in the car. The JD.com purportedly stayed for four hours at the apartment, according to the witnesses account.
The girl told police that Liu managed to take a shower at her place and repeatedly tried to pull her inside the shower room. She said she tried to stop Liu from his advance but the man won, pinned her down and raped her. The girl said she let his semen stain stayed on her sheet to show evidence to the police.
The day after, another assistant of Liu's approached the girl. The assistant introduced herself as Vivian Yang and reportedly asked the girl to speak with Li, the chairman of Excellence Real Estate Group, and tell the latter about what happened.
It was not immediately clear whether Li will mediate to try to do some damage control or whether he knew about the supposed meeting.
Reuters said it contacted all the people mentioned in its report for their official statement before publication but all of them denied giving their comments.
The JD.com CEO maintained his innocence. His attorney Jill Brisbois told Reuters in an email response that they were disappointed that the publication ran a report without valid evidence, particularly that all information was coming from anonymous sources.
Meanwhile, Liu decided to reduce his day-to-day involvement with managing JD.com's core businesses, he told investors during an earnings call.
The company, however, will have difficulties making big decisions without the CEO's approval, according to Benjamin Cavender, a Shanghai-based analyst working with China Market Research Group.
