PROPERTY RIGHTS BETTER PROTECTED

Increased focus on rule of law leads to acquittal of retail tycoon

Chinese retail tycoon Zhang Wenzhong has experienced many turning points in his life, but none compare with the moment when he heard the country's top court pronounce him "innocent" on Thursday.

As the founder and former chairman of Wumei Holdings, the parent of retail chain Wumart Stores, Zhang had been hoping for the moment for more than a decade after being sentenced to prison for 18 years for fraud, embezzlement and corporate bribery in 2008.