Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan gets life term in China fraud case
Why it matters: The ruling deepens the reckoning over a developer whose $300 billion debt collapse worsened China’s property slump.
A court in Shenzhen sentenced Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan to life in prison after convicting him in a sweeping fraud case tied to the collapse of the Chinese developer. The court said Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, embezzled assets, took part in bribery, inflated assets and concealed liabilities while Evergrande expanded on heavy borrowing. It fined Evergrande and Evergrande Real Estate Group a combined 15.82 billion yuan, or about $2.35 billion. Other senior executives, including Hui’s two sons Xu Zhijian and Xu Tenghe, received prison terms ranging from 22 months to 18 years. Evergrande defaulted in 2021 after a debt crackdown, leaving hundreds of projects unfinished and helping drive a prolonged property downturn in China.