Posts tagged ‘capital punishment’

23/04/2012

* China Court Overturns Death Penalty for Wu Ying in Fraud Case

New York Times: “The Supreme People’s Court on Friday overturned the death penalty against a 31-year-old woman who was convicted of financial fraud three years ago after becoming rich through a company that sold beauty products and other goods. The case of the woman, Wu Ying, ignited an enormous outcry in China, especially on the Internet, and strengthened public criticism of the death penalty.

Xinhua, the state news agency, reported that the supreme court, which agreed in February to review the case, refused to approve the death sentence imposed by a lower court and said that the sentence needed to be revised by the High People’s Court of Zhejiang, a coastal province that is home to Ms. Wu and many other entrepreneurs. Ms. Wu was sentenced to death in December 2009 by the Jinhua Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang for cheating investors out of $60.2 million. Ms. Wu, the founder of Bense Holding Group, raised $122 million from investors between 2005 and 2007, according to official reports.”

via China Court Overturns Death Penalty for Wu Ying in Fraud Case – NYTimes.com.

17/02/2012

* Death sentence for ex-tycoon fuels debate over private lending, and over capital punishment

China Daily: “Death sentence for ex-tycoon fuels debate over private lending, report Li Jing and He Na in Beijing, and Xu Junqian in Zhejiang.

Wu Ying used to be one of the richest women in China. Today the former billionaire is on death row.

In the eyes of many people, particularly the judge who threw out her appeal last month, Wu is a fraudster who swindled her friends and business partners out of 770 million yuan ($122 million).

Yet, others oppose the sentence and say her case highlights a major issue in China: the reliance among small- and medium-sized enterprises on high-interest loans from private lenders.

From loan sharks and underground banks to pawnshops and auction houses, the private lending chain is huge and diverse, according to economists, who blame the situation largely on the struggles experienced by entrepreneurs in getting startup funds through authorized channels.

After 30 years of ongoing reforms, experts are now adding their voices to calls for China’s financial sector to be opened up even further.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-02/14/content_14597676.htm

China has reduced the list of crimes for which capital punishment applies from 68 to 55. Even so, many of these are for economic crimes, reminescent of the times (18th century)when European countries would execute or deport these criminals (eg Jean Val Jean of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and Mr Micawber of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield). Crime and punishment is cultural. Hence in some Muslin countries adulterers can be stoned to death (or at least the female partner can).

In my personal opinion it is also a facet of developing human consciousnes: the more ‘enlightened’ a society is the less likely will it favour capital punishment.

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