Liu Han

Liu Han
Born	(1965-10-25) 25 October 1965 Guanghan, Sichuan, China
Died	9 February 2015(2015-02-09) (aged 49)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businessman
Known for	Chairman of Hanlong Group; convicted of murder and leading a mafia-style criminal organization

Liu Han (; born 25 October 1965 – died 9 February 2015) was a Chinese billionaire entrepreneur who served as the chairman of the diversified conglomerate Hanlong Group, which had business interests in sectors such as power generation and mining. His declared net worth was approximately 40 billion yuan (around US$6.4 billion). He was found guilty of murder, leading a mafia-style criminal organization, among other offenses, and was executed in February 2015.

Early life

Born in 1965 in Guanghan, located in Sichuan province, Liu Han was the third of five children. His father, Liu Zhangke (刘章科), a veteran of the Korean War, worked as a high school physics teacher until his passing in 1990. His mother, Li Wanzhen (李万珍), earned a living as a street vendor.

Early career and assassination attempt

During the mid-1980s, Liu Han started his business activities by trading timber, building materials, and petroleum products. By the early 1990s, he and his brother Liu Wei were running gambling operations in Guanghan. Between 1994 and 1997, he engaged in commodity trading involving soybeans and steel, accumulating hundreds of millions of yuan.

A conflict arose from Liu's commodity dealings with Liaoning billionaire Yuan Baojing, who suffered losses nearing 100 million yuan and accused Liu of broker manipulation. In retaliation, Yuan hired an ex-police officer to attempt Liu’s assassination in 1997; however, the plot did not succeed. Subsequent blackmail attempts and countermeasures culminated in Yuan’s conviction for murder and his execution in 2006.

Hanlong Group

Established by Liu Han in 1997, Hanlong Group moved its headquarters from Mianyang to Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, in 2000. Around 2002, Liu formed an alliance with Zhou Bin, son of Zhou Yongkang—then Sichuan’s leading political figure. In 2001, Hanlong constructed two hydroelectric plants in Ngawa, which were sold in 2005 for 500 million yuan to a British Virgin Islands-registered company; this entity subsequently resold them to a subsidiary of Datang Power for 2.7 billion yuan.

In 2009, Hanlong secured a majority stake in Moly Mines, an Australian mining enterprise headquartered in Perth. The group also made a $1.3 billion bid for Sundance Resources, another Australian mining firm; however, this acquisition fell through following Liu Han's arrest in March 2013. Overall, Liu controlled more than seventy subsidiaries across industries including energy, mining, real estate, finance, and securities, with total assets officially estimated at 40 billion yuan (US$6.4 billion).

Prosecution and execution

The central government intensified scrutiny on Liu Han and his brother Liu Wei after a January 2009 shooting at a teahouse in Guanghan resulted in three deaths, among them rival gang leader Chen Fuwei. The brothers were implicated in several homicides connected to their commercial ventures and criminal undertakings.

They were detained in March 2013 amid Xi Jinping’s initial anti-corruption drive targeting associates of Zhou Yongkang within Sichuan province. Their trial took place at Xianning Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei province. In May 2014, both were sentenced to death with lifelong deprivation of political rights and ordered to surrender all their assets. Liu Han faced thirteen charges including murder, operating illegal casinos, leading a mafia-style syndicate, and arms trafficking. Appeals filed by the brothers were dismissed in August 2014. On 9 February 2015, Liu Han and Liu Wei were executed alongside three accomplices.

Philanthropy

Prior to his detention, Liu Han was acknowledged for his charitable activities, particularly drawing attention following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. While numerous government-constructed schools collapsed resulting in many child casualties, the educational institution built by Liu Han withstood the disaster, with all pupils remaining safe. He also played a major role in supporting the relief operations after the earthquake.

Personal

Liu Han was an enthusiast of luxury automobiles, reportedly possessing close to 80 vehicles. Additionally, he engaged in high-stakes gambling and confessed during his trial to incurring losses amounting to $128 million in Macau, $15 million in the United States, along with several million more in Singapore and Australia.

External links

• Phoenix News detailed coverage of Liu Han
• Profile, businessinsider.com; accessed 16 February 2015.