US court revokes Chinese businessman's lawsuit against Liaoning

The District Court of Columbia in the United States ruled on February 28 this year that the lawsuit against northeast China's Liaoning provincial government by businessman Yang Rong be revoked.

The US court cited the reason that it had no right to "exercise jurisdiction" over the case.

In August 2003, the aforementioned court agreed to handle the lawsuit filed by Yang, former board chairman of the Brilliance Group, against the provincial government of Liaoning, which took over the Brilliance Group's state-owned assets in March 2002.

Refusing to accept the ruling, Yang has lodged an appeal to the court of appeal, sources told Xinhua.

In another case, the lawsuit instigated by Yang at Supreme Court of Bermuda to claim Chinese state assets failed as well.

The lawsuit against the Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd.(CBA), the Chinese Financial Education Development Foundation and the Huacheng Automotive Group Holding Company Ltd., was turned down by the Supreme Court of Bermuda on December 31, 2003.

The civil case was brought to court in the name of the Broadsino Finance Company Ltd. who claimed that Broadsino was the holder of the CBA, and its shares had been unlawfully expropriated by the provincial government of Liaoning.

However, the Supreme Court of Bermuda said in its court ruling that "the plaintiff never owned any shares" in the defendant CBA.

Relevant departments were quoted by the sources as saying that the state-owned nature of the assets in the case is clear, and the assets are not allowed to be taken over "by anybody through any means."

"As the facts involved are clear and the legal relations are explicit as well, departments concerned are fully confident of winning all related cases.

Source: Xinhua