Hangzhou investigating alleged tax evasion, fraud related to Lin Shengbin

Hangzhou authorities are probing allegations of tax evasion and fraud regarding charity fundraising related to Lin Shengbin, who lost his wife and three children in an arson attack in 2017, authorities said on Tuesday.

A joint investigation team, comprised of different government departments, recently looked into the 2017 arson case thoroughly in line with the law. The team did not find any facts or evidence concerning Lin's involvement in "planning the arson or other delinquencies", according to a statement posted on the official Sina Weibo account of the Hangzhou Public Securities Bureau.

The bureau also said it is investigating a netizen surnamed Huang from Jiaozhou in East China's Shandong province for allegedly spreading rumors about Lin on the internet.

On June 22, 2017, Lin's wife and three children were killed in a fire set by the nanny, Mo Huanjing, who was a gambling addict and had long been in debt.

To gain the family's trust, Mo planned to light a fire and put it out. However, the fire became out of control, and Lin's wife and children were killed due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mo was sentenced to death according to a final ruling in June 2018 and executed three months later.

In late June this year, Lin announced through his Weibo account that he had remarried and had a newborn daughter, which prompted netizens to accuse him of heartlessness and hypocrisy.