A Chinese real estate billionaire is facing extradition to the United States from London for allegedly paying bribes to obtain permits for a construction project in San Francisco.
Zhang Li, 69, a former official of the Guangzhou Municipal Government, is a co-founder and CEO of Guangzhou R&F Properties, which once ranked as one of the top 10 developers in China. The company’s sales revenue in 2020 exceeded 130 billion yuan (around $17.98 billion).
R&F Properties issued a statement on Dec. 12, saying that Zhang faces charges of bribery for hosting the former head of San Francisco’s Department of Public Utilities, and that Zhang is taking “legal action” against the “false accusation.”…