May 18th, 2012
01:39 AM ET

Chinese tycoon sentenced to life in prison for smuggling, bribery

A Chinese court on Friday sentenced Lai Changxing, a tycoon who spent more than a decade as a fugitive in Canada, to life in prison for smuggling and bribery, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Lai, 53, was sentenced by a court in the southeastern port city of Xiamen in Fujian Province, where the Chinese authorities say he ran a multi-billion dollar smuggling operation in the late 1990s.

Born into a peasant family, Lai received little in the way of education. He nonetheless rose to become one of China's richest and most flamboyant businessmen.

His company's interests included products as varied as cigarettes, cars, luxury goods and oil.

FULL STORY

Filed under: Crime • World
soundoff (7 Responses)
  1. HIDE BEHIND

    Even in the most restrictive society one can always play the game while living outside of it.
    No one becomes a billionaire without enrichening others along the way, liked to of known this guy

    May 18, 2012 at 4:44 am | Report abuse |
  2. ou

    wow! riveting article! good thing we really didn't want details cuz how boring would that have been!

    May 18, 2012 at 4:47 am | Report abuse |
  3. Mary

    Then it would stand to reason that Buscho & Co ect... would be bound by the same charges and sentences as the man received. The US Bribery/stealing of other countries natural resources.

    May 18, 2012 at 12:56 pm | Report abuse |
  4. HIDE BEHIND

    Smuggling is a serious crime in the US, heck in Washington state along its borders people smuggle booze, gasoline, smokes, and about evrrything except autos and all because of its high sales tax.
    Free enterprise is good as long as the taxmen and those who live off of those tax get their share.

    May 18, 2012 at 1:11 pm | Report abuse |
  5. banasy©

    What do I care about this?
    Get the robber barons and self-serving politi tians that are destroying this country one bribe at a time!

    May 18, 2012 at 2:02 pm | Report abuse |
  6. saywhat

    Yes @ banasy
    That is looking inwards, something which we havn't done in a long while.

    May 18, 2012 at 2:51 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Bill

    Put the lotion in the basket

    May 19, 2012 at 6:26 am | Report abuse |
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