A LAWYER in Shenzhen was arrested for allegedly bribing the victim of a rape case to make a false statement.
The lawyer, identified as Zhou, 49, was a partner in the Guangdong Qiren Law Firm. He is facing a charge of hindering evidence collection and a jail term of up to seven years, the Nanshan People s Procuratorate said.
According to Nanshan police, the victim, Xiao Mei, went to a KTV club with a friend, Zhuo, and another couple in Xili in September last year. They rented a room in the hotel and Xiao Mei claimed Zhuo had raped her when the other couple went out for a meal.
Zhuo admitted he had forced Xiao Mei to have sex and was arrested.
At a court hearing in January, Zhou, Zhuo s lawyer, demanded Xiao Mei give testimony. To the astonishment of prosecutors, Xiao Mei testified she had a sex voluntarily and had not been forced.
The prosecutors demanded a further police investigation which showed Zhou and Zhuo s father had promised to pay Xiao Mei cash if she retracted her testimony. Zhou was arrested Feb. 19. (Han Ximin)
