Chinese commercial bank chairman killed, stabbed in office, ex-subordinate held: report
- Bank of Handan chairman Zheng Zhiying died in hospital on Thursday having been allegedly killed by his former employee, according to reports
The chairman of a state-controlled commercial bank in northern China’s Hebei province died in hospital on Thursday having been allegedly killed by his former subordinate, in a rare case that has shocked the financial community amid Beijing’s push to strengthen regulation of the key sector.
Zheng Zhiying, the 61-year-old chairman of the Bank of Handan, a regional lender with 231 billion yuan (US$32.3 billion) worth of assets, was stabbed in his downtown office on Thursday morning, the 21st Century Business Herald reported, citing information from a local government official.
In a statement, local police named only Zheng as a victim and said 54-year-old man surnamed Song had been detained, pending further investigation.
Chinese media outlets reported that Song had been sacked from his role as a branch head. No reason for the lay-off was provided.
Local police, several bank branches and subdistrict offices did not answer requests for comment by phone.
The killing comes at a time when Chinese financial institutions are facing unprecedented pressure in terms of business operations and Beijing’s anti-corruption campaign.
