Bian Yuye · Full chronicle and history

Bian Yuye, former chairman of Dafeng Rural Commercial Bank in Jiangsu, was accused of embezzling more than 15.9 million yuan and was held in detention (liuzhi) at a detention site in Zhangjiagang for 168 days. According to a September 23 report by investigative journalists Wu Yingjiao and Liu Hu, after the case-handling authorities checked the accounts, real estate and wealth-management products of him and his relatives, they found no evidence that he profited from the transactions of the two properties involved in the case; his defense lawyer entered a not-guilty plea.

An article reported that Bian Yuye, former chairman of Jiangsu Dafeng Rural Commercial Bank, was handcuffed behind her back and forced to slap herself over 800 times during her 168-day detention, losing over 30 kilograms. Her infant daughter, who was breastfeeding, was also detained. The article was subsequently deleted.

After Bian Yuye was held in custody for more than three months, his daughter Bian Jin, who was still breastfeeding, was notified to cooperate with questioning and was detained. Father and daughter were held in the same compound but could not meet for 35 days. Defense lawyers said that before the daughter was detained, Bian Yuye consistently denied having profited, but afterward his confession reversed and he ultimately pleaded guilty.

Bian Yuye recalled that while he was held in detention he was handcuffed behind his back, subjected to freezing punishment in low temperatures, deprived of sleep and subjected to other restrictions, and was also ordered to slap himself hard in the face, with a single instance reaching more than 800 slaps. His defense lawyer questioned the way evidence was obtained during the trial and requested the complete interrogation footage.

The case of Bian Yuye, former chairman of Jiangsu Dafeng Rural Commercial Bank, accused of embezzling more than 15.9 million yuan, opened at the Zhangjiagang court. His defense lawyer entered a not-guilty plea, and his family members were placed under residential surveillance and coerced into confessing.