Businesswoman sentenced to death for fraud

A former fugitive dubbed "the most beautiful businesswoman" in Jiangsu province was given a two-year suspended death sentence on Wednesday for illegally taking around 1.77 billion yuan ($290 million) of public money and two other offences.

According to legaldaily.com.cn, Gu Chunfang, 41, once a star actress in a video promoting the province's Changshu city, was also accused of contract fraud and fleeing from justice with a large amount of capital between 2008 and 2012.

The Suzhou Intermediate People's Court said it gave Gu a combined punishment for the three offences and ordered the seizure of all her assets.

Gu, the former legal representative of Suzhou Kaiweilong Trading Co, fled in March 2012 to escape loan debts but was captured shortly afterwards in Shanghai where she had a rented residence.