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| U.S. Businessman Accused of Being Crime Boss Stands Trial in China | U.S. Businessman Accused of Being Crime Boss Stands Trial in China |
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| BEIJING — An American businessman who is accused of loan-sharking, arson, kidnapping rivals and paying thugs to toss acid in the face of a judge, among other crimes, went on trial this week in a case that has raised questions about the use of forced confessions by Chinese courts and that has prompted concern from United States officials. | |
| The businessman, Vincent Wu, a Chinese immigrant who settled in California two decades ago, was originally scheduled to stand trial more than a year ago, but his case has been repeatedly delayed. Since the arrest of Mr. Wu in June 2012, prison officials have refused to provide American diplomats with access to him by claiming that he is a citizen of China, not the United States. | The businessman, Vincent Wu, a Chinese immigrant who settled in California two decades ago, was originally scheduled to stand trial more than a year ago, but his case has been repeatedly delayed. Since the arrest of Mr. Wu in June 2012, prison officials have refused to provide American diplomats with access to him by claiming that he is a citizen of China, not the United States. |
| The trial, which began Monday at the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, involves 34 defendants and is expected to last two weeks. | The trial, which began Monday at the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, involves 34 defendants and is expected to last two weeks. |
| Mr. Wu, described by prosecutors as the ringleader of a crime syndicate in the southern province of Guangdong, insists that he is innocent and says the confession that is the crux of the case against him was extracted through torture. In a deposition, he said he was hung from the ceiling by his arms, force-fed stimulants that kept him awake for days and repeatedly beaten until he signed a self-incriminating statement. | Mr. Wu, described by prosecutors as the ringleader of a crime syndicate in the southern province of Guangdong, insists that he is innocent and says the confession that is the crux of the case against him was extracted through torture. In a deposition, he said he was hung from the ceiling by his arms, force-fed stimulants that kept him awake for days and repeatedly beaten until he signed a self-incriminating statement. |
| Lawyers for many of the other 33 defendants say their clients’ confessions, too, were the result of sleep deprivation and marathon beatings administered by the police. “The torture involved was very severe, making moot the prosecution’s case,” said Li Zhuang, a legal adviser to the Wu family. | Lawyers for many of the other 33 defendants say their clients’ confessions, too, were the result of sleep deprivation and marathon beatings administered by the police. “The torture involved was very severe, making moot the prosecution’s case,” said Li Zhuang, a legal adviser to the Wu family. |
| On Tuesday, prosecutors said they would present videotaped confessions by all the defendants — except for that of Mr. Wu, which they said had been lost because of a technical malfunction. | On Tuesday, prosecutors said they would present videotaped confessions by all the defendants — except for that of Mr. Wu, which they said had been lost because of a technical malfunction. |
| Whether or not the allegations against Mr. Wu are true, the case has helped reinforce the widespread perception among Chinese émigrés that returning home to do business can be a perilous endeavor. Relatives of Mr. Wu say their biggest fear is that he could be given the death penalty. | Whether or not the allegations against Mr. Wu are true, the case has helped reinforce the widespread perception among Chinese émigrés that returning home to do business can be a perilous endeavor. Relatives of Mr. Wu say their biggest fear is that he could be given the death penalty. |
| Friends and family members describe him as a hard-working entrepreneur and say the charges are an elaborate fiction concocted by powerful Communist Party officials who have long coveted his business interests in the Pearl River Delta, where he lived until the 1970s, when he fled to Hong Kong, then a British colony. | Friends and family members describe him as a hard-working entrepreneur and say the charges are an elaborate fiction concocted by powerful Communist Party officials who have long coveted his business interests in the Pearl River Delta, where he lived until the 1970s, when he fled to Hong Kong, then a British colony. |
| In an interview on Tuesday, his daughter, Anna Wu, rejected allegations that her father was a crime boss, saying he lived modestly and ran bona fide businesses, including a wholesale flower market. “To say he is a mafia guy is such a lie,” said Ms. Wu, adding that her father sold the family’s home in Los Angeles to help build a shopping center and office complex in China that are among his most valuable real estate assets. | In an interview on Tuesday, his daughter, Anna Wu, rejected allegations that her father was a crime boss, saying he lived modestly and ran bona fide businesses, including a wholesale flower market. “To say he is a mafia guy is such a lie,” said Ms. Wu, adding that her father sold the family’s home in Los Angeles to help build a shopping center and office complex in China that are among his most valuable real estate assets. |
| Prosecutors paint a much different portrait of Mr. Wu. They say he hired thugs to throw acid in the face of a judge who had ruled against him in a lawsuit, intimidated farmers occupying land he sought to develop and ran illegal casinos that pulled in the equivalent of millions of dollars. Among the few items of evidence, they cited the discovery of 70 bullets in his office as proof of his criminal side. His daughter, however, says that the bullets were a novelty gift from a friend, and that the only gambling involving her father had been informal card games in his office. | Prosecutors paint a much different portrait of Mr. Wu. They say he hired thugs to throw acid in the face of a judge who had ruled against him in a lawsuit, intimidated farmers occupying land he sought to develop and ran illegal casinos that pulled in the equivalent of millions of dollars. Among the few items of evidence, they cited the discovery of 70 bullets in his office as proof of his criminal side. His daughter, however, says that the bullets were a novelty gift from a friend, and that the only gambling involving her father had been informal card games in his office. |
| American consular officials have been frustrated by their inability to see Mr. Wu, who holds both United States and Chinese citizenship. China does not recognize dual nationality. Public security officials say his decision to enter mainland China with a document connected to his status as a Hong Kong permanent resident during his last visit nullified his American citizenship. | American consular officials have been frustrated by their inability to see Mr. Wu, who holds both United States and Chinese citizenship. China does not recognize dual nationality. Public security officials say his decision to enter mainland China with a document connected to his status as a Hong Kong permanent resident during his last visit nullified his American citizenship. |
| Nolan Barkhouse, a spokesman for the United States Embassy in Beijing, confirmed that Mr. Wu is a United States citizen and said diplomats would continue pressing for the right to meet him face to face. “We have repeatedly requested consular access to Mr. Wu since first learning of his detention, and we are monitoring his case,” he said. | Nolan Barkhouse, a spokesman for the United States Embassy in Beijing, confirmed that Mr. Wu is a United States citizen and said diplomats would continue pressing for the right to meet him face to face. “We have repeatedly requested consular access to Mr. Wu since first learning of his detention, and we are monitoring his case,” he said. |
| On Monday, Mr. Wu’s lawyers argued unsuccessfully to have the court recognize him as an American citizen. In addition to allowing consular visits, Mr. Li, the family’s legal adviser, said such an acknowledgment could allow Mr. Wu to be deported after the trial and serve any sentence in the United States. | On Monday, Mr. Wu’s lawyers argued unsuccessfully to have the court recognize him as an American citizen. In addition to allowing consular visits, Mr. Li, the family’s legal adviser, said such an acknowledgment could allow Mr. Wu to be deported after the trial and serve any sentence in the United States. |
| Wang Shihua, the lawyer arguing Mr. Wu’s case in court, said he did not hold out much hope for any favorable rulings. After leaving court on Wednesday, he criticized the judge, who he said seemed unfamiliar with basic legal concepts and was mostly interested in pitting the defense lawyers against one another. | Wang Shihua, the lawyer arguing Mr. Wu’s case in court, said he did not hold out much hope for any favorable rulings. After leaving court on Wednesday, he criticized the judge, who he said seemed unfamiliar with basic legal concepts and was mostly interested in pitting the defense lawyers against one another. |
| “The past three days have shown that the priority of the Guangzhou Intermediate Court is not to serve justice or to uncover facts of this case, but to carry out an order given by someone higher up,” Mr. Wang said by telephone. “I think this case is typical of officials using fabricated charges and political power for personal gain.” | “The past three days have shown that the priority of the Guangzhou Intermediate Court is not to serve justice or to uncover facts of this case, but to carry out an order given by someone higher up,” Mr. Wang said by telephone. “I think this case is typical of officials using fabricated charges and political power for personal gain.” |