Wanda fights back over slurs
JEWEL development partner Wanda Group has slapped lawsuits on a slew of Chinese social media accounts it says are “criminals” and “rumormongers”.
In a statement, the company said it was seeking public apologies and damages of RMB 5 million ($957,000) from the WeChat and Weibo accounts for “malicious rumours that have recently been fabricated and spread” about chairman Wang Jianlin, Asia’s richest man.
It said they would also pursue criminal charges and were “defending its dignity” and helping to “create a cleaner internet environment”.
“Wanda has filed lawsuits against the responsible rumormongers on Sept. 5th in Chinese courts holding the proper jurisdiction, and the courts have accepted the lawsuits,” the statement said.
“Wanda will also press criminal charges against those whose behaviour constituted a crime by spreading the rumours.”
Wanda’s Hong Kong-listed shares fell sharply last month after some media outlets claimed Mr Wang was detained by police at the Tianjin airport as he was about to leave China on a private jet.
That event followed revelations that Wanda had sold 77 of its hotels and 13 theme parks to two Chinese developers in July. The same month, Wanda announced a plan to sign over its interest in four companies, including its 60 per cent share of Wanda Australian Real Estate, which is building the Jewel hotel and residential project at Broadbeach in partnership with Ridong.