Premier League bosses have BLOCKED Chinese ‘crook’ Gao Jisheng’s £200million takeover bid of Southampton
Lander Sports Development is fighting his case and will learn if he can continue with move
PREMIER LEAGUE bosses blocked a Chinese takeover of Southampton due to dramatic bribery allegations.
Lander Sports Development chief Gao Jisheng is fighting his case and could learn today whether he can make a £200million bid for a stake in Saints.
The richest league in the world is no stranger to scandal and colourful characters. But this saga arguably tops the lot.
The Prem board barred Gao in February after obtaining evidence he had twice been involved in corruption cases in China, one of which ended with a senior city politician being executed by lethal injection.
SunSport has confirmed that Gao was indeed named in Chinese state media as one of a number of businessmen who gave bribes to Xu Maiyong, the vice-mayor of the city of Hangzhou known as “Xu three more” because of his lust for money, women - and more women.
But Gao and Lander did not take no for an answer and launched a legal challenge to the Premier League’s decision, contesting the facts behind the refusal to allow them to proceed.
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Lawyers for the Chinese consortium are due to meet the Premier League this morning in a bid to reach a final verdict on Lander and Gao’s suitability to buy into the richest league in the world.
The outcome does not guarantee Lander will complete a deal with Saints owner Katharina Liebherr.
It is understood there are other offers on the table, Lander is not the preferred bidder and that the club is likely to have new investors within a fortnight.Of the two bribery cases cited by the Premier League lawyers to justify the ban on Gao, the most extraordinary involved the notorious Xu Maiyong.
As the vice-mayor of Hangzhou, the prosperous city at the centre of China’s fourth biggest metropolitan area, Xu was infamous for his love of a backhander and of women.
It’s hard to give a better translation of his nickname than “Xu three more”, but money, women and more women were clearly his vices.
Xu and his co-accused, Jiang Renjie, the former vice-mayor of another city, Suzhou, were found guilty of embezzling millions by abusing their positions over the course of more than a decade.
Evidence against them was given by a number of local businessmen, including Gao.
Both Xu and Jiang were executed by lethal injection by the Chinese state authorities on July 19, 2011.
According to reports in Chinese state media, investigators found a vault packed with gold ingots, jade and other precious stones, just some of the fruits from years of being on the take.
And among the businessmen named as having given Xu bungs was Gao, boss of the major Lander Holdings conglomerate. A probe ordered by the Premier League went even further, claiming official Chinese sources said Gao had given Xu £70,000 worth of gold, jewellery and watches in order to secure construction deals.
Gao, it was said, had turned state witness in return for immunity from prosecution himself.
For good measure, it was alleged to the Premier League he had also admitted bribery in a separate case which ended in another man being jailed for 15 years.
Add in other concerns about Gao and the deal — and the Lander takeover — seemed dead in the water.
But Gao and his lawyers have contested the alleged facts which led to the Premier League’s ban, including the bribery allegations, and will find out this morning whether they will remain in the race to buy a stake in Southampton.
It would be a major climbdown for the Premier League after it communicated its concerns to the lawyer of Saints owner Katharina Liebherr in February. You cannot blame the League for being wary, though. The embarrassing sagas of Thaksin Shinawatra at Manchester City, Carson Yeung at Birmingham and of the long list of hapless officials at Portsmouth give no room for complacency.
But whatever the outcome of this morning’s meeting, the Saints are set to have new investment in the next fortnight — and with it fresh hope of keeping £50m-rated centre-back Virgil van Dijk who has been linked with a host of other clubs.
Even if Lander and Gao are given the green light, it is believed there is more than one other offer on the table and Lander is not the preferred option.
Liebherr has said she will sell part of her stake only if the right investor can be found to take the Saints forward.
That does not mean injecting £500m or more.
It means providing enough money to fund the salaries and signings which would persuade Van Dijk, Ryan Bertrand and other stars to stay at St Mary’s rather than joining one of their Premier League rivals.
Money isn’t everything, though. As “Xu Three More” found out to his cost.