Alibaba fires accused manager in ‘forced drinking’ sex case

ALIBABA yesterday fired a manager accused of rape, as its chief executive condemned the “ugly forced drinking culture” affecting one of China’s most famous companies.

Sexual assault has been under scrutiny in China recently, with celebrities – including Chinese-canadian superstar Kris Wu, who was accused of rape – facing investigations and legal charges. Mr Wu denies all the charges.

In the latest high-profile allegation that sparked public outcry, an unidentified employee at the e-commerce giant accused her manager and a client of sexual assault during a work trip to eastern China, according to media reports.

She was allegedly made to drink and later assaulted.

Alibaba’s CEO, Daniel Zhang, yesterday issued an internal memo to staff – seen by news agency AFP – condemning the attack and his company’s initial handling of the complaint.

He said internal investigations found the accused had confessed to “intimate acts” with the woman while she was inebriated, violating company policy.

“He will be fired and never be rehired,” Mr Zhang said, adding the issue was now with the police.

An Alibaba representative confirmed the employee has since been sacked.

Alibaba’s client said in a statement that it had also fired the employee accused of sexual assault.

Mr Zhang also hit out at an “ugly forced drinking culture”, a business practice that has come under fire, including at Alibaba.

Alibaba has already been under government scrutiny, with regulators in the midst of a broad campaign to rein in the growing clout of tech giants.