Author | China Business Feng Hao Andrew Duan Siyu
Editor | Zhang Fugui Lin Jiechen
From the news broke on the depositor website, now Henan New Fortune Group has been investigated and the public security agency has arrested a group of suspects... After more than 60 days, China Business News reporters have been following the "Henan rural bank online cash withdrawal" incident for several months and conducted in-depth investigations. The mystery behind it is slowly becoming clear.
Red Code Controversy
html Late at night on June 13, an Internet meme about "Those who offend me will be red no matter how far away" began to circulate in a small area. It was about some people's health code turning red unreasonably.
At 10:52 a.m. on June 14, China Business News was the first among institutional media to publish relevant reports, confirming the incident and interviewing many parties involved. "People are sitting at home, and red codes are coming from the sky. This group of Henan depositors The article "Why was the code forcibly changed" quickly appeared on various news hot lists. Major media across the country also followed and reported on the incident in the following days. The incident quickly developed and became the hottest news in the past week.
This first article mentioned that as soon as Wang Yun arrived in Henan, she found that her health code turned red. Later, she was required to be quarantined by the local government. However, her 48-hour nucleic acid test result still showed negative.
Mr. Deng also encountered the same situation. Mr. Deng has been staying at home in Shijiazhuang for the past 14 days and has never been to Henan. On the evening of June 11, Mr. Deng saw in the village bank depositor communication group they spontaneously formed that some depositors scanned a place code that showed the location of "Zhengzhou Station Southwest Exit", and the health code suddenly turned red. Curious, Mr. Deng also tried to scan the venue code, and his health code also turned red.
The more bizarre encounter was that of Wang Gang. At 14:50 on June 14, less than four hours after the first report was published, China Business News once again issued an article "The latest progress of depositors being "assigned a red code": 12345 replies are applying for resolution, and the local government said that Liyu can transfer Green》, the article mentioned a case: Wang Gang's health code changed from green to red when he arrived in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Relevant people told him that he could change it back to green when he returned. In the end, he had to choose to go home. The red code was really The code changed back to green, but his nucleic acid test results have always been negative.
In the village bank depositor communication group voluntarily formed by depositors, hundreds of residents from Beijing, Chengdu, Shijiazhuang, Suzhou, Loudi, Hunan, Liaocheng, Shandong and other places across the country reported to China Business News that they also Encountered similar strange events.
In the afternoon, many media also interviewed many people whose health codes suddenly turned red. They all had a common identity, that is, depositors of some village banks in Henan.
Almost at the same time as the second manuscript, China Business News' "Yi Kuai Comment" column published a comment "The act of randomly "assigning red codes" must be stopped immediately" , clearly pointing out that "epidemic prevention tools have become weapons of illegal control" , it is recommended that the relevant departments find out the truth as soon as possible, find out the source, and stop this behavior immediately!" The reporter then interviewed experts from all parties, first raising the legal aspect of the red code incident as suspected leakage of citizens' privacy and abuse of power by relevant departments (click to view → "Depositors' green codes turned into red codes inexplicably, do the relevant administrative departments need to take responsibility?" ), and then analyze in detail who has the power to assign red codes from a technical perspective. The article pointed out that the development of health codes is led by local governments, with enterprises providing technical support and administrative The department has the authority to retrieve data and modify it, and "the possibility of manual intervention by relevant administrative departments is high."(Click to view → "Popular Science Post: Behind the Transcoding of Health Codes, Who Has the Power to Give You a Red Code" )
Just after the health codes of some village and town bank depositors in Henan were "given a red code", on the morning of June 15, Many owners of properties under construction in Zhengzhou reported to China Business News that their health codes had been "assigned red codes" on June 12 and June 13, and they had all reported to relevant parties that they were in the process of purchasing a house. At the same time, they were asked by relevant parties whether they were village bank depositors. (Click to view → "The owners of these suspended properties in Zhengzhou also have red codes! They once reported violations of regulations in the same place as village bank depositors" "Behind the "red code crisis" of property owners in Henan, the issue of property companies suspending operations deserves attention" )
How could the health code used for epidemic prevention and control become so arbitrary and "precise"? The media and netizens have constantly raised such questions. While calling for accountability, can a clear legal basis be found? China Business News interviewed several legal experts on June 16. They pointed out that the inexplicable "red code" given to citizens may involve the abuse of administrative power. (Click to view → " Expert: The "red code" incident is suspected of abuse of power, and there is a clear legal basis for accountability" )
After the Henan Health Code "red code" incident fermented for many days, at 17:26 pm on June 17, The "Qingfeng Zhengzhou" WeChat public account released information saying: In response to the recent issue of some village bank depositors' health codes being assigned red codes, the Zhengzhou Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision has launched an investigation and accountability process. Any disorderly conduct according to the Code Management Measures will be dealt with seriously in accordance with rules, disciplines and laws. (Click to view → "Who was assigned the "red code"? The Zhengzhou Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision launched an investigation accountability procedures " )
What is the relationship between the red code and deposits?
Whether local nucleic acid negatives were assigned red, out-of-towners were assigned red by Henan location code, or property owners under construction were assigned red, the common information pointed to village bank depositors who came to Zhengzhou from June 12 to 14. Previously, because many rural banks in Henan were unable to withdraw money normally, some depositors were very anxious and reported their experiences through various channels. Some depositors originally planned to rush to Zhengzhou from various places on June 13 to seek a solution to the withdrawal problem.
Regarding the problems of rural banks in Henan, as early as April 26, China Business News issued an exclusive report - "4 rural banks in Henan cannot withdraw cash online, and the special economic investigation team has intervened" .
The article introduces that starting in November 2020, Mr. Wan successively purchased Yuzhou New Minsheng Rural Bank , Kaifeng New Oriental Rural Bank , and Zhecheng Huanghuai Rural Bank on Internet platforms such as Du Xiaoman and the bank’s WeChat applet. deposit products, it was discovered in April that these deposits could no longer be withdrawn.
After the media exposed this matter, according to Xinhua News Agency reported on May 18, the person in charge of the relevant departments of China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said that recently, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the People's Bank of China have continued to pay attention to the closure of online service channels of four rural banks in Henan. At present, the deposit and withdrawal services at the four rural bank branches are operating normally, and all businesses handled in compliance with laws and regulations are protected by national laws.
According to multiple media reports, there are many people like Mr. Wan, mainly users who handle deposit and withdrawal services through third-party Internet platforms. The number is as high as 400,000, and the amount involved is about 40 billion. Where did such a large amount of deposits go?
The group behind it has surfaced
html At 13:36 on June 16, China Business News released "Exclusive丨Xuchang Rural Commercial Bank and the mysterious shareholders behind it" . The reporter dug up and found that several rural banks had difficulty withdrawing money this time. , the largest shareholder behind it all pointed to Xuchang Rural Commercial Bank.
Previously, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said that Henan New Fortune Group, a shareholder of four rural banks, absorbed public funds through internal and external collusion, the use of third-party platforms and fund brokers, and was suspected of illegal crimes. The public security organs have opened a case for investigation.In response to this, Xuchang Investment Group responded in the "Clarification Announcement" that Henan New Fortune Group has no equity investment, capital transactions or business cooperation relationships.
However, a reporter from China Business News inquired and found that Henan New Fortune Group and Xuchang Rural Commercial Bank are inextricably linked.
html On the afternoon of June 18, the Xuchang Municipal Public Security Bureau of Henan Province issued a police information report through its official WeChat account, saying that on April 19, 2022, the Xuchang Municipal Public Security Bureau opened an investigation into the Henan New Fortune Group for suspected major crimes in accordance with the law.
"It has been preliminarily found out that since 2011, a criminal gang headed by Lu, the actual controller of the company, is suspected of using village banks to commit a series of serious crimes. At present, the investigation of the case has made positive progress, and the public security organs have arrested a number of criminal suspects. Seize, seize, and freeze a batch of funds and assets involved in the case in accordance with the law. "The Xuchang Public Security Bureau said that the suspected criminal behavior lasted for a long time, there were many people involved, and the case was very complex.
In the evening of the same day, China Business News released "Henan New Fortune Group was investigated!" Depositors of village banks in which it has a stake were given “red codes”. The next day, New Fortune Group and Lu were on Weibo’s hot searches. This is the first time Lu has appeared in the public eye.
The capital network of Lu’s empire
At noon on June 19, China Business News released another blockbuster "Making fortunes through financial maneuvering, there are traces of Henan’s new wealth real controllers infiltrating rural banks" , providing more information about Lv Information.
"Lu" is Lu Yi, the actual controller of New Fortune Group. He was born in 1974 and is 48 years old this year. According to the data, Lu Yi’s current nationality is in Cyprus , and he introduced himself as Liberia ’s business and investment representative in China and chairman of Cyprus Avrosada Investment Group, but his hometown is Nanyang, Henan.
Lin Dong (pseudonym), a retired official who has worked in Kaifeng for many years, told China Business News that the Lu family behind Lu Yi was initially mainly engaged in the home appliance distribution business and had a certain influence in the southwest Henan region.
Lu Yi’s first pot of gold came from the highway. On September 26, 2003, the Lanwei Expressway in Henan Lankao to Shenqiu was officially laid. The actual controller behind the construction of Fanglanwei Expressway Development Co., Ltd. was Lu Yi, who was only 29 years old at the time. This 61-kilometer highway has a total investment of 2.4 billion yuan, and Lu Yi also obtained the right to charge the highway for 30 years.
Lu Yi and others took a piece of highway toll collection rights and loaned a total of 2.47 billion yuan from China Development Bank and ICBC . In the period since then, Lu Yi has had control over a huge amount of 2.47 billion yuan.
There are various indications that part of these funds were used by Lu Yi to invest in the financial industry at a certain period. Through a large number of vest companies, Lu Yi has successively invested in many domestic city commercial banks and rural commercial banks, , and invested with part of the equity held in financial institutions as collateral. Later, as the country's financial supervision gradually tightened, it focused on rural banks with more loose management, and eventually set off a major financial case that affected hundreds of thousands of depositors.
So, how did Lu Yi penetrate into rural banks step by step? On June 20, China Business News reported in detail on Henan New Fortune Group and its actual controller Lu Yi, through equity participation and even controlling some city commercial banks and rural commercial banks, titled "Revealing the Cash-out Techniques of the Actual Controller of Henan New Fortune Group" , rural banks, and use the bank's shares as the subject of pledged loans, and then obtain funds from financial institutions such as banks or third-party trusts that are closely related to Henan New Fortune Group.
The article mentioned that Wang Lin (pseudonym), who once worked for a company affiliated with Henan New Fortune Group, told China Business News that there are hundreds of shadow companies actually controlled by Lu Yi, and he has controlled at least 13 more City commercial banks and village banks.
However, even though the New Fortune Group gradually grew in size, Lu Yi's name almost never appeared in the shareholder lists of these banks. His clues eventually appeared in some court judgments.
The Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court disclosed in a criminal judgment issued on September 20, 2018, that in order to seek a loan, Lu Yi borrowed more than 9 million from Zhengzhou Bank Vice President Qiao Junan . Subsequently, in order to obtain more They took out loans and paid more than 23 million in bribes. Moreover, the two of them started a business of profiting from the interest rate difference. Qiao Junan was responsible for getting the bank approval, and Lu Yi borrowed money and then lent it to some related companies. In this judgment, Lu Yi is identified as the chairman of New Fortune Group.
Wang Lin told reporters that the business model of Henan New Fortune Group has already taken shape: find money to invest in banks, then take the money out of the participating banks and lend to other companies at high interest rates. In the later stages, as it directly controlled more and more bank equity, Henan New Fortune Group even directly intervened in the appointment of senior executives and the election of board members of some banks.
has since cashed out through pledge, trust and other means. Mortgaging the equity he holds in an institution to a bank where its shadow shareholders lurk to withdraw cash is a common tactic used by companies controlled by Lu Yi.
Currently, Qiao Junan has been sentenced to fourteen years in prison for accepting bribes.
At 18:11 on June 21, China Business News released "Re-exploration of Henan New Wealth Capital Paths: Huge amounts of money will be cashed out and then "loan sharks" will be released? The article "" roughly sorted out Lu Yi's capital operation path after cashing out.
Lu Yi once obtained a loan of 3.5 billion yuan through Hengfeng Bank , but in the end he "escaped" and only repaid 300 million yuan. China Business News also learned that Lu Yi has repeatedly lent tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan at high interest rates in the name of his companies or company shareholders and employees, which has triggered many economic disputes.
It is still difficult to estimate how much money Henan New Fortune Group and its actual controller Lu Yi have evacuated, and it is still unclear where the funds flowed. An official close to the Henan police told China Business News that the case of Henan New Fortune Group is "very complex" and involves many companies and people. Moreover, according to clues obtained by the Xuchang police, there is currently some funds. It was transferred overseas, but the specific amount is still being screened and counted.
What is the problem with rural banks?
According to the common sense of Chinese people, money should be safe in the bank. Star Map Financial Research Institute researcher Huang Dazhi wrote an article for China Business News on May 27 and pointed out that banks are regardless of size or the order in which they were established. As long as residents have deposits in banks established within the country, All are protected by the deposit insurance system. However, in history, there have also been problems with some small banks having difficulty withdrawing cash. This reflects that small and medium-sized banks have greater risks in operation and management than large banks. (Click to view → "Why are the security of deposits in large, medium and small banks the same?" )
Rural banks were first born in 2007, and as of the end of 2021 there were 1,651. The original intention of its establishment was to solve the long-term insufficient supply of rural finance in China. However, in actual operation, faced with competition from major banks, it is actually difficult for rural banks to attract deposits, and it is also not easy to find loans for good projects.
Due to the small scale of rural banks and poor management, coupled with the convenience of Internet deposits, it is easy for rural banks to bypass current regulations to obtain deposits at high interest rates, and then lend the deposits to financial groups or projects of lower quality to achieve scale. Rapid expansion. Once there is difficulty in recovering the loan, it is extremely easy to be unable to pay it back.
At 12:41 on June 21, China Business News released an in-depth long article "How are the 1,651 rural banks doing now?" Shandong, Hebei and Henan have the largest number, and 122 of them across the country are considered high risk. provides a detailed analysis of the current situation and problems of rural banks in my country.It is mentioned that according to central bank statistics, as of the second quarter of 2021, a total of 122 rural banks are high-risk institutions, accounting for about 29% of all high-risk institutions.
To be continued
From the health code turning red in a strange way, to the disappearance of 40 billion in deposits, to the chaotic governance of four rural banks, and finally leading to a company with vast powers, an invisible rich man with quick thinking, and a sophisticated A complex network of capital flows. How will this incident develop, and what will be the outcome of the investigation and accountability of the departments responsible for the "red code", China Business News will continue to track...
