L’“Alibaba case” is nearing completion. It is a case of sexual assault by a customer of the e-commerce giant on a woman who was working for Alibaba at the time. Zhang Guo was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to one year and six months in prison by Huaiyin District Court in Jinan, Shandong, on June 22, an announcement on the court’s website said.
The court ruled that Zhang Guo assaulted the victim while she was drunk, and that the crime of sexual assault was established, according to an article by the Lianhe Zaobao, a Singapore newspaper.
Mme Zhou, the victim of this case, interviewed by an online media reporter Fengmian, said he learned of the sentencing by watching TV and added:
“I don’t know how to describe how I feel now, I’ve waited too long for this judgement.”
Zhang Guo, however, did not confess or show any repentance, according to the court announcement. Feng Yanting, his attorney, said he wants to appeal.
Alibaba company image
On August 7, 2021, Mr.me Zhou, published a letter addressed internally to Alibaba employees, accusing her then-supervisor, a Mr. Wang, and Zhang Guo, a customer, of sexually assaulting her while on a business trip. His letter was quickly circulated on Chinese social media, and the case sparked outrage in China.
Mr. Wang, the Alibaba executive also accused by Mr.me Zhou was detained for two weeks but not charged. He was, however, fired by Alibaba, along with two other executives, pending the outcome of the police investigation.
A few months later, Mr.me Zhou had also been fired by Alibaba, accused by the company of having “spread false information” et “door reached” like the company. She tells :
“I felt like I was being unjustly accused, I was very sad, but no one showed me any empathy.”