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'House Sister' goes on trial in China
Gong Aiai in court in Jingbian county, Shaanxi, yesterday. The former bank official amassed a real estate empire using multiple fake identities.
BEIJING - A former Chinese banking official who amassed a real estate empire under multiple fake identities stood trial yesterday for forgery of identities and purchase of forged official documents.
Gong Aiai's one-day trial was held in a court in Jingbian county in north-west Shaanxi, her home province, reported cnwest, the official news website of Shannxi.
Gong, 49, has been dubbed "House Sister" by the Chinese public for allegations that she bought at least 45 properties worth US$160 million.
Her case, however, centres on her use of fake identities to garner those properties.
After the case surfaced earlier this year, people were shocked by the size of her real estate holdings - including 41 properties in the ultra-pricey housing market of Beijing, reported the Associated Press.
They also were alarmed that Gong was able acquire multiple identities despite China's tightly controlled regulations on identification documents, said the news agency.
Multiple identifications not only give a person access to additional benefits in areas of housing and education but also hide one's assets and circumvent property limits in Beijing and other cities that are meant to deter real estate speculation.
One other issue is that Gong's ability to get multiple identifications suggests corruption among the police who register residences and issue identification cards.
Indeed, four others stood trial with her yesterday. They included two former senior police officers from Shaanxi's Shenmu county, where Gong also owns a string of properties.
In addition, another seven have been detained in Beijing, other parts of Shaanxi and neighbouring Shanxi province, reported cnwest, quoting police.
The Beijing police have also seized Gong's 41 properties in the capital and an Audi vehicle, said the website.
Before her arrest, Gong worked in Shenmu Rural Commercial Bank, where she rose from a minor loan official in 1986 to become its vice-president in 2010.
She was not a civil servant, as bank was not a state-owned entity.
The verdict will be announced on another day.
Gong Aiai in court in Jingbian county, Shaanxi, yesterday. The former bank official amassed a real estate empire using multiple fake identities.
BEIJING - A former Chinese banking official who amassed a real estate empire under multiple fake identities stood trial yesterday for forgery of identities and purchase of forged official documents.
Gong Aiai's one-day trial was held in a court in Jingbian county in north-west Shaanxi, her home province, reported cnwest, the official news website of Shannxi.
Gong, 49, has been dubbed "House Sister" by the Chinese public for allegations that she bought at least 45 properties worth US$160 million.
Her case, however, centres on her use of fake identities to garner those properties.
After the case surfaced earlier this year, people were shocked by the size of her real estate holdings - including 41 properties in the ultra-pricey housing market of Beijing, reported the Associated Press.
They also were alarmed that Gong was able acquire multiple identities despite China's tightly controlled regulations on identification documents, said the news agency.
Multiple identifications not only give a person access to additional benefits in areas of housing and education but also hide one's assets and circumvent property limits in Beijing and other cities that are meant to deter real estate speculation.
One other issue is that Gong's ability to get multiple identifications suggests corruption among the police who register residences and issue identification cards.
Indeed, four others stood trial with her yesterday. They included two former senior police officers from Shaanxi's Shenmu county, where Gong also owns a string of properties.
In addition, another seven have been detained in Beijing, other parts of Shaanxi and neighbouring Shanxi province, reported cnwest, quoting police.
The Beijing police have also seized Gong's 41 properties in the capital and an Audi vehicle, said the website.
Before her arrest, Gong worked in Shenmu Rural Commercial Bank, where she rose from a minor loan official in 1986 to become its vice-president in 2010.
She was not a civil servant, as bank was not a state-owned entity.
The verdict will be announced on another day.
