Key facts
- Zhao Ruisheng was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.
- He was convicted of extortion and illegally obtaining personal information.
- The charges stem from an attempt to extort 7.794 million yuan ($1.15 million) from Hu Guoqiang and his wife.
- Hu Guoqiang is the former chairman of the state-owned Xinjiang Energy Group.
A Beijing man, Zhao Ruisheng, has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for extortion and illegally obtaining personal information. The conviction concludes a legal case that began after Zhao reported corruption by Hu Guoqiang, the former chairman of the state-owned Xinjiang Energy Group. The Shunyi District Court ruled on June 29 that Zhao attempted to extort 7.794 million yuan (approximately $1.15 million) from Hu and his wife, Zhang Shuang. The case is described as a bizarre legal saga that originated from a multimillion-dollar real estate deal reportedly funded entirely by suitcases of cash.