Chinese prosecutors have decided to drop a case against former Alibaba manager, who was accused by a female colleague of sexual assault. This development came weeks after the case caused a backlash against the e-commerce firm over how it handles sexual misconduct allegations.
The Associated Press stated that the police detained the former manager, whose last name is Wang, in August after a female Alibaba employee accused him of sexual assault. The incident reportedly took place while they were on a business trip to the northern Chinese city of Jinan.
It is reportedly said that the woman accused Wang of turning a blind eye when she was plied with alcohol and molested during a dinner with a client. She also said that Wang later entered her hotel room and then sexually assaulted her while she was drunk.
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According to a statement posted on the social media site Weibo by Jinan police late Monday night, prosecutors in Jinan did not approve Wang’s arrest and he received a 15-day detention instead.
The move drew widespread criticism online, with many lamenting the lack of protection for women in sexual assault cases. Some said Wang’s 15-day detention suggested he was not entirely innocent.
In a post, Wang’s wife thanked his team of lawyers. She previously accused the female employee of framing her husband for sexual misconduct.
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The Associated PRess reported that Wang was fired from his job after the woman posted an 8,000-word essay with the accusations in an internal post on the company’s intranet and said Alibaba’s human resources department ignored her complaints.
Alibaba also asked two senior executives to resign over their handling of the case. Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang pledged to establish an anti-sexual harassment policy with “zero tolerance” for sexual misconduct.
In a statement, the company said, “Alibaba Group has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct, and ensuring a safe workplace for all our employees is Alibaba’s top priority.”