Fake banker detained for fraud in S China

WENZHOU - A man who was appointed as a municipal Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) member after claiming to have bought a US bank has been detained for alleged fraud, local police confirmed Tuesday.

Lin Chunping, 42, born in the city of Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, and six other people were detained in the city of Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong province from late Sunday to early Monday after being accused of creating fake invoices worth hundreds of millions of yuan, police said.

The invoices are believed to have been made in 22 provinces across China and resulted in losses of state tax revenues worth tens of millions of yuan, police said.

Lin was hailed by the local government and the media as a "financial hero" for Wenzhou and chosen to be a municipal CPPCC member after claiming to have purchased the "Atlantic Bank of America," which was later found to be nonexistent.

Lin left his CPPCC post 71 days after being appointed when doubts started to emerge about his bank purchase. The ruse was uncovered in March.