Accessories to crimes also bear responsibility

WANG ZHENHUA, chairman of Shanghai-based realty developer Seazen, which is listed in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, was detained by the Shanghai police on suspicion of molesting a 9-year-old girl, while a 49-year-old woman surnamed Zhou was detained, too, for possibly assisting him. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Some media outlets report that Wang might face criminal charges, although some lawyers predict that he might have to spend fewer than five years in prison if he is convicted of that crime.

Considering the reports that the 9-year-old victim girl had lacerations on her vagina, the criminal charge Wang faces might be rape instead of molesting a minor, which means his imprisonment term might be higher than 10 years. However, although the police are holding him under suspicion of molesting the child, that is not a court verdict. It remains for a court to judge whether he is guilty of any charges.