Authorities on Thursday accused a Chinese mining tycoon of running a vast mafia that blackmailed, beat and gunned down rivals in daytime attacks, traveled in Rolls Royces and Ferraris and fostered ties to prosecutors and police with drug-fueled parties. The high-level investigation centering on Liu Han, the former multimillionaire
chairman of energy conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group with stakes in Australian and US miners, and his brother Liu Wei and 34 associates has exposed ties between organized crime and Chinese officialdom. The gang bust in southwestern China appears to be part of a sprawling shakeup of Sichuan province that has ensnared senior politicians and influential businessmen.—AP
Your Thoughts …
