4th October 2026 – (Hohhot) The son of Li Jianping, the former secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Hohhot Economic and Technological Development Zone, remains a fugitive after reportedly securing Cypriot citizenship and relocating to Europe under an assumed name. Media reports state that Cypriot authorities froze local property linked to him in mid‑September, valued at more than 100 million yuan. Li Jianping, dubbed by some outlets as Inner Mongolia’s most notorious graft figure, was executed on 17th December 2024 following approval by China’s Supreme People’s Court, after convictions covering embezzlement, bribery, misappropriation of public funds and condoning organised criminal activity.
According to investigative reporting, Li Jianping’s son, Li Suchao, is alleged to have helped move a portion of illicit funds overseas prior to his father’s downfall. In 2016 he obtained Cypriot nationality via an investment programme, including the purchase of a seafront penthouse, and later left China with his wife, Gao Ran. The pair are said to have adopted the names Leonidas Loucas and Rhea Loucas in Europe and to have launched a technology venture, while Li’s current whereabouts are unknown. Company records cited in the reports indicate that Gao, under the name Rhea Loucas, is residing in Switzerland.
Court documents reviewed by Chinese media show that, in Li Jianping’s case, illicit appropriation of state‑owned company funds totalled about 1.437 billion yuan, of which roughly 289 million yuan had not actually been obtained; bribes accepted amounted to approximately 577 million yuan; and misappropriated public funds were put at around 1.055 billion yuan, with some 404 million yuan not repaid before the case broke. The Supreme People’s Court upheld that the sums involved and the circumstances were exceptionally serious, warranting the ultimate penalty, which was carried out by the Hinggan League Intermediate People’s Court on the morning of 17th December 2024.
Reports add that Li Jianping’s misconduct extended beyond financial crimes, with findings that he failed to perform his duties and tolerated unlawful acts by a criminal group led by Zhao Wenyuan, who has since been sentenced. Separately, Caixin and other outlets have characterised the overall value implicated in Li’s corruption as exceeding 3 billion yuan, placing the case among the largest publicly detailed in recent years.