JD.com CEO released after arrest in US

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc said in a statement on Sunday that Richard Liu, the company’s founder and chief executive, was falsely accused after he was arrested in the US state of Minnesota on a charge of criminal sexual conduct and later released.

The charge against 45-year-old Liu, whose Chinese name is Liu Qiangdong, was made just before midnight local time on Friday, and he was released just after 4pm on Saturday, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff website. It showed Liu was “released pending complaint.”

“During a business trip to the United States, Mr Liu was questioned by police in Minnesota in relation to an unsubstantiated accusation,” the company said.

“The local police quickly determined there was no substance to the claim against Mr Liu, and he was subsequently able to resume his business activities as originally planned,” it said.