Chinese authorities have hit the 37-year-old actor, Fan Bingbing, with 883 million yuan ($129 million) in taxes, fines and penalties for tax evasion, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Jiangsu provincial taxation bureau.
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The actress, who vanished from public view for a couple of months amid scandal about movie stars underreporting their earnings, is not expected to face criminal charges if the fines and back taxes are “paid within the prescribed time limit.”
In her first Weibo statement in months, the A-lister, who previously denied any wrongdoing, has published an apology:
“I sincerely apologize. As a public person I should be in compliance with the law and be an example for society and the industry. In the face of economic benefits, I should not lose my restraint and forsake administrative procedures that lead to violations of the law. Without the [Communist] party and the state’s good policies, without the love from the people, there would be no Fan Bingbing.”
Fan’s agent is said to have been detained for allegedly obstructing the investigation by concealing related documents and ordering evidence to be destroyed; officials at the Jiangsu taxation bureau are also being probed for purported involvement.
She was last seen in public in June while visiting a children’s hospital, and then she went missing, having stopped posting on all social media accounts, and making no public appearances.
