Well-known Beijing market's manager arrested in selling fake LV bags

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The general manager of Silk Street Market, one of Beijing's most popular clothing markets, has been arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit goods with registered trademarks including Louis Vuitton bags, local authorities said Friday.

The Chaoyang District Procuratorate confirmed the arrest of Wang Zili, the formerly general manager of Silk Street Market, and said Wang would also face another charge of taking bribes.

Wang, together with a security official and a businessmen, invested 400,000 yuan (58,000 U.S. dollars) aiming to sell fake brand-name bags bearing the Louis Vuitton trademark from the end of 2007, the prosecutors said.

Wang also allegedly received 70,000 yuan in bribes from a businessman, Yang Changjun, who allegedly bribed Wang in getting to use underground storehouses for counterfeit goods, according to the prosecutors.

Wang, who began to serve as the general manager of the Silk Street Market in early 2006, left his job in July 2009. He was captured in December in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China.

Zu Shaozhong, the security department head of the market, was also arrested for allegedly participating in the illegal trade.

No specific date is given for court trial of the two.

The fate of the briber, Yang Changjun, remains unknown.

The Silk Street Market is famous for knock-off designer gear and is a magnet for both local expatriates and foreign tourists.

In 2008, the market unveiled its own brand, SILKSTREET, and warned that anyone who tries to counterfeit it will be held liable. The market moved into an adjacent five-floor mall, as administrators wanted to root out fake goods. They also aimed to reform the market, to make a place to buy Chinese specialties, including silk, pearls, tea, china and handicrafts.