Fan Bingbing risks losing 127 ‘bling’ endorsements
BEIJING: Disgraced actress Fan Bingbing risks losing 127 brand endorsements after being fined 883 million yuan for tax evasion.
Most of the brands have already dropped her as a spokesperson.
Fan, who has been released from detention, has an estimated net worth of seven billion yuan ( RM4.22 billion). She has just listed 41 properties in Beijing for sale at 20 to 30 per cent below market value.
Despite the huge fine imposed on her, Fan appears to have gotten away lightly.
Back in 2002, actress Liu Xiaoqing was jailed for 442 days in prison for tax evasion of 20 million yuan. Her bank account was seized, and 1.96 million yuan in deposits were confiscated.
While Beijing is now characterising Fan as “socially irresponsible”, her employees insist that she is a very generous employer.
Apart from fancy dinners, employees – some of whom have been implicated in destroying financial evidence of Fan’s tax evasion – were given sevenfigure bonuses each year.
Fan has also been showering her workers with laptops, iPhones, diamonds, and even
I’ll pay for all the weddings of all the ladies in this office. It’s my job to see you all get married happily. Fan Bingbing, disgraced Chinese actress
Louis Vuitton handbags — although it could not be confirmed if the “inventory” included Birkin handbags.
Fan even gave a house to an employee as a wedding gift.
She has been quoted as saying: “I’ll pay for all the weddings of all the ladies in this office. It’s my job to see you all get married happily.”
Details on Fan’s arrest are also emerging.
Fan was arrested in Nanjing, Jiangsu when she was on the 20th floor of the Dezi Plaza. She was then with a fortune teller, during a session when she dropped two million yuan.
It was Fan’s final binge before getting arrested.
Following the arrest, Fan left the plaza with a bag over her head. Also taken in for questioning were the fortune teller and the plaza owner.
Apparently, even the fortune teller did not foresee the arrest.