My name is Hong Guo, and I am wrongfully accused. I wish to present my perspective.

My accountant, Jeff Li, along with another employee, schemed to steal CAD 7,580,000 from my law firm’s CIBC account, fleeing to China on April 1 and 7, 2016.

On March 31, 2016, Li Zixin failed to place the monthly bank reconciliation on my desk as usual. Concerned for him, especially with his wife being six months pregnant, we searched everywhere but to no avail.

On April 1st, I had no alternative but to handle the monthly reconciliation myself. Upon starting the computer, I discovered our CIBC account was overdrawn by US$730,000, shown in red.

I was shocked to my core. It took a while to regain composure before I immediately alerted the police and our CIBC account manager. The police recorded details but took no action.

Pan Qian, the co-conspirator, arrived in Canada on April 6. Despite alerting the police on April 1st, they did nothing to prevent Pan Qian’s escape on April 6th. China attempted to detain Li Zixin on April 3rd to recover the client’s funds. I naively thought finding him would secure the return of the money.

I discovered the missing funds on April 1, 2016, and promptly reported it to CIBC and the Richmond Police. This money, deposited in our CIBC account, was intended for real estate purchases in Vancouver by our clients.

In this critical situation, I sought guidance from the Law Society of British Columbia, only to be met with indecision and a lack of advice. Furthermore, the lawyer’s insurance did not cover the theft at my firm, Guo Law Corporation.

Working with Chinese police since April, the culprits were finally apprehended on June 28, 2016. However, due to insufficient evidence, they were released on August 3. After extensive efforts to substantiate the evidence, they were re-arrested on August 3, 2017.

Between April 2016 and November 2019, I travelled between Canada and China over 20 times, leading up to the final trial in November 2019. In August 2022, a judgment was issued. They filed an appeal, which was rejected in May 2023, upholding the original decision. The Law Society’s lack of support and understanding of my perilous situation, struggles, and efforts was apparent.

BC Law Society Told The Public About Hong Guo

Without any investigation, the BC Law Society publicly accused me of theft and treated me like a criminal. On April 17, 2016, about a dozen individuals entered my office, seizing nearly all my files and my cell phone, further complicating the situation. To this day, the whereabouts of these documents remain unknown.

If I had embezzled $7.5 million and stored it in an offshore account, why would I continue practicing law in Richmond, earning just $800 per real estate transaction? It’s illogical. I would be living luxuriously in Macau, much like the actual culprits who defrauded my firm.

I ensured my clients’ transactions were completed successfully and on time, even selling my farms and house. Yet, the stolen funds were never recovered.

By the end of 2017, after immense effort, I managed to fully recoup all the clients’ losses. Not one client experienced financial harm, nor did anyone file a complaint with the Law Society regarding this incident. The public perceived me as their hero, and my reputation soared. In 2018, the citizens of Richmond, BC, nominated me as a candidate for mayor.

Two and a half years elapsed, and coincidentally, on the day the election commenced, September 3, 2018, the Law Society issued a citation and publicly declared an investigation into the theft incident.

The Law Society prematurely accused me of being involved in the theft without conducting a detailed investigation. Eventually, they recognized their statements were erroneous, but instead of acknowledging their error, they persisted in depicting me as the thief to protect their reputation. Their actions became blatantly unprincipled.

For example, at the time of the theft, all client funds were in a single, combined account, which was thrown into disarray. With new client funds arriving daily and transactions proceeding, I couldn’t determine the precise state of the account.

The two forensic accountants spent six months reconstructing the accounts, finding a $600,000 difference between their findings. To this day, it’s unclear which account’s report is correct.

There Was No Misappropriation

Years later, the Law Society accused me of using other clients’ funds for a property transaction without clarifying whose funds I supposedly used, labeling it “misappropriation.” In the eyes of the public, this term is often synonymous with theft. Eventually, they devised a tactful way to frame their mistake.

However, the panel concluded I acted in my clients’ interests. The Law Society’s appeal was unsuccessful, failing three times. Yet, they persisted in their attempts to disbar me, unable to let go of their vendetta.

Later, it was revealed that “Hong Guo assisted a client in securing a $100,000 deposit in 2014.” The client, unable to transfer funds at the time, sought my help, and I agreed with reluctance. The client transferred the money to my Chinese account, and I facilitated its payment into a Canadian trust account.

The client was satisfied and appreciative. The Law Society, however, portrayed the incident as “Hong Guo neglected to deposit the client’s funds into the trust account,” conveniently leaving out the full story.

Do you see the irony? It’s labelled yet another case of “misappropriation”! I can’t help but feel pity for those lawyers at the Law Society; they must be stretching their creativity to fabricate such narratives.

This image captures my initial experience with a prison in China. In Panyu Prison, situated in Guangzhou, Li Zixin is incarcerated. Found guilty of embezzling 40 million yuan, he was sentenced to 13 years.

His accomplice, Pan Qian, received a sterner sentence of 15 years. Observing this, I contemplated my life, much of which seems wasted. Life is transient; why do we opt for such paths?

Hong Guo Was Wrongly Treated As A Criminal  

They persistently treated me as a criminal, subjecting me to relentless questioning and hearings. They inquired about transactions from a decade ago, yet they misplaced my files.

The media consistently published stories about me, never bothering to inquire about my perspective.

No matter how excellent one’s memory is, recalling such specifics without proper documents is unfeasible. I endeavoured to cooperate, but the extensive time gap hindered my ability to recall every detail. The Law Society accused me of “lying,” “misleading,” and being “ungovernable.”

From 2016 to 2023, my focus has been on initiating legal actions, apprehending, and prosecuting these two criminals. During this time, I faced death threats. After enduring many trials, I finally achieved success. This year, 2023, the conclusive judgment sentenced Li Zixin to 13 years and Pan Qian to 15 years in prison.

The accompanying document, “Zhuhai Court Judgment,” relates to a legal case in China involving financial document fraud and misappropriation of funds by defendants Zixin Li and Qian Pan from Guo Law Corporation.

Key points indicating Hong Guo’s innocence:

Role of Defendants: Zixin Li, an accountant at Guo Law Corporation, and Qian Pan, a legal assistant, conspired to misappropriate funds. Li issued multiple cheques with forged signatures, and Pan facilitated the transfer of these funds.

Evidence of Forgery: Expert analysis confirmed that several cheques drawn from Guo Law Corporation’s accounts had signatures forged by Zixin Li, not Hong Guo.

Hong Guo’s Position: As the head of Guo Law Corporation, Guo was a victim of the fraudulent activities conducted by the defendants. Guo had no part in the misappropriation and was unaware of the fraudulent activities.

Financial Losses to Guo Law Corporation: The fraudulent activities led to substantial financial losses for Guo Law Corporation, amounting to millions in Canadian dollars. It caused the law firm to collapse.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing: The Chinese court found Zixin Li and Qian Pan guilty of bill fraud and sentenced them to fixed-term imprisonment and fines. The judgment mandated restitution to Guo Law Corporation for the losses incurred.

This summary indicates that Hong Guo was not involved in the fraudulent activities but was instead a victim of the actions perpetrated by Zixin Li and Qian Pan.

Hong Guo Is Innocent

The Law Society misrepresented and distorted the facts. I am obliged to endure their interrogations, facing thousands of questions about events from a decade ago. Who can remember that far back with such clarity?

They avoid specifying the dates of the alleged “misconduct.” They charged me in 2014 for not adhering to regulations that were only established in 2017.

The Law Society claimed I failed to adequately supervise the two criminals, yet they did not guide how to effectively manage such individuals. They admitted their uncertainty in handling the situation, but when I took the initiative to assist my clients and achieved a positive outcome, they criticized my actions.

Richmond BC Police and the Law Society

The Law Society accuses me of misappropriating clients’ funds. Which clients? I urge the Law Society to disclose these clients’ names. Let the clients come forward and testify. Yet, the Law Society fails to name even one. They couldn’t present a single client to testify. Did any client incur a loss? Not at all. Why doesn’t the Law Society inform the public about this?

Neither the Richmond Police nor the Law Society offered me any support; instead, the LSBC has been a constant source of trouble and distress for me. I am battling depression and have been hospitalized due to their prolonged persecution.

Author: Hong Guo, Richmond BC