Footage may be attempt to discredit Guo Wengui, who says he is being persecuted for threatening to reveal political corruption

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A mysterious video confession from a former Chinese spy chief has surfaced in what some suspect is an attempt to discredit a billionaire who claimed he was being persecuted for threatening to reveal political corruption.



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In the video, a man identified as China’s former vice-minister for state security, Ma Jian, levels a series of accusations at Guo Wengui, an outspoken Chinese property magnate who is based in New York.

Ma, who has been in custody since at least 2015, claims he used his power and position to benefit the billionaire.

Guo has claimed he is the victim of a political witch-hunt because he chose to speak out about corruption.

“Guo and I formed an alliance of shared interests,” the man identified as Ma says in the video. “From 2008 to 2014 I used my power and position to benefit Guo Wengui.”

Ma says he used his position at the top of one of China’s most powerful and feared organs to settle Guo’s business disputes, including wiretapping rivals, freezing assets, squashing police investigations and threatening journalists. In return, Guo paid him more than 60m yuan (£6.8m) in properties and cash, Ma claims.

Ma appears uncomfortable in the clip, frequently fidgeting in his seat and swallowing repeatedly. Visibly red-faced, he also seems to look off camera at times.

The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified by the Guardian. Elite Chinese politics is almost always handled behind closed doors and public spats are extremely rare.

The video surfaced after Guo claimed in an interview with the Chinese-language service of Voice of America that he was being targeted as part of a cover-up attempt.

He has said he would “drop a nuclear bomb of corruption allegations” against top officials, and accused Beijing of trying to silence him with “terror” tactics. The billionaire has also floated several as-yet-unproven allegations on his Twitter account.

Along with the release of the video, in what appeared to be a coordinated media campaign against Guo, two Chinese media outlets released reports detailing his allegedly nefarious business dealings, aided by his relationship with Ma.

Guo and Ma reportedly had links to the top legal affairs official in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing. That official, Zhang Yue, went on trial Thursday on suspicion of accepting 158m yuan in bribes.

Aside from revelations targeting Guo, police arrested two employees at Guo’s Beijing-based investment firm, Chinese media reported late on Thursday.

Interpol issued a red notice for the arrest of Guo this week at Beijing’s request, according to China’s foreign ministry. A ministry spokesman described Guo as a “suspect” but offered no further details.

Guo, who has lived in self-imposed exile for more than two years, broke his silence in February after another Chinese billionaire, Xiao Jianhua, was snatched from his room at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong by Chinese security agents.

Guo built his fortune in property development, and built the dragon-shaped Pangu Plaza near Beijing’s Olympic park.