Beijing, May 27 (IANS) A five-star hotel owner and former national legislator went on trial in south China’s Guangdong province for alleged involvement in prostitution, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
Liang Yaohui, and his 46 hotel employees, were accused of arranging prostitutes, including underage girls, in Crown Prince Hotel in Dongguan city since 2004, according to Dongguan Intermediate People’s Court.
The city, which is about 80 km away from provincial capital Guangzhou, is famous for casinos, bath houses and massage parlours.
The hotel made about 48.7 million yuan ($7.8 million) by organising over 100,000 illegal sexual acts in 2013, according to the court.
In February 2014, Liang’s hotel was closed down together with some other hotels and entertainment venues involved in sex trade in Dongguan after media exposed the city’s sex business. The scandal was followed by a three-month crackdown on prostitution in Guangdong.
Liang, born in 1967, was stripped of the title as a deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, after being detained in April 2014.
Prostitution has been outlawed in China since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. According to Chinese laws, organising prostitution can result in life in prison or even the death penalty.