Aidong Zhang’s $1.2 million worth of properties forfeited to the State after court ruling

Aidong Zhang, who was convicted of deceptively obtaining property and engaging in money laundering of more than $1.2 million, has had his properties forfeited to the State following a Suva High Court ruling on a non-conviction based forfeiture application.

The Suva High Court has granted the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions application for a non-conviction based forfeiture regarding properties suspected to be proceeds of crime.

The ODPP says they had filed a non-conviction based civil forfeiture pursuant to section 19C with section 19E of the Proceeds of Crimes Act in the case of State-v- Aidong Zhang.

Zhang was found guilty on charges of obtaining property by deception and money laundering.

They say between 1st June 2014 and 31st January 2016, he had deceptively obtained property and engaged directly or indirectly in money laundering in the amount of $1.2 million.

He had obtained the money by deception from the complainant who was his business partner on the pretext that the said properties were being sold at $5.5 million instead of its actual price of $3.3 million.

The Suva High Court has ordered that the assets which were acquired through illicit means, be forfeited to the State.

The ODPP says these assets, which include a mix of properties will be sold and the corresponding proceeds will be forfeited in accordance with the High Court’s ruling.

They add the judgment underscores their ongoing commitment to ensuring that criminals are deprived of the proceeds of crime and they will relentlessly pursue and target properties derived from criminal operations.