Qian Zhimin Pleads Guilty in Court! Major Breakthrough in Cross-Border Recovery for Lantian Gerui; Victims Urged to File Claims Promptly

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Thisarticleis addressed to2014—2017victims of the 2016 “Lantian Gerui” case, explaining the progress of the case and subsequent plans;After reading, please complete the registration form at the end of this article, so thatMankun Law Firm, together with its UK partner law firms, may assert your rights to restitution before the UK courts.

According to Reuters, Qian Zhimin (Zhimin Qian) pleaded guilty in open court at Southwark Crown Court in London on September 29, 2025. She is currently remanded in custody pending sentencing.

Qian Zhimin’s legal counsel initially pursued a not-guilty defense strategy but shifted to a guilty plea in court. This significant change is a key favorable development for domestic victims, marking a breakthrough in the cross-border recovery efforts in the Lantian Gerui case!

We strongly urge all victims:Please seize this critical opportunity and complete the victim claim declaration as soon as possible.Only by actively asserting your rights can you secure your due share in the subsequent asset restitution!

Qian Zhimin Pleads Guilty in Court: Admits to offenses of “possession of criminal property” and “transfer of criminal property.”

Source: Reuters

 

Case Proceedings Accelerate into Sentencing Phase

Under the UK Criminal Procedure Rules, once a defendant enters a guilty plea in the Crown Court, the court may record a conviction based on the plea after confirming the factual basis, without conducting a full trial of facts,and proceed directly to the sentencing phase.

In lay terms, this amounts to a “fast-track” in legal proceedings—pleading guilty eliminates the need for prolonged and complex evidence presentation and arguments by both prosecution and defense regarding the facts of the crime, significantly shortening the overall litigation cycle. For victims, the most direct benefit is that the core objective of asset recovery—the issuance of a “confiscation order” and a “compensation order” by the court—will be initiated more quickly, serving as a powerful tool to safeguard victims’ rights and interests.

 

Court Has Authority to Issue Compensation Orders During Sentencing

Under the UK Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, after a defendant has been convicted,the court has the authority to issue a Compensation Order during the sentencing phase, requiring the defendant to compensate victims for losses caused by the crime.

The policy of the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) also states:“Where victims have suffered loss, the court may order the defendant to pay compensation.”

What is a Compensation Order?

• It is an ancillary order in criminal proceedings, whereby the court orders the defendant to compensate victims for losses incurred as a result of the crime;

• It is typically issued at the judgment or ancillary proceedings stage; in practice, the court usually arranges a dedicated hearing;

Therefore, although Qian Zhimin’s guilty plea itself does not automatically generate a compensation order,it accelerates the sentencing phase, and thus a compensation order is typically issued earlier.

 

Impact on Victims

Qian Zhimin’s guilty plea fundamentally changes the nature of the case:

1. Greatly Enhances Certainty of Outcome: Pleading guilty avoids unexpected developments that might arise during a trial (such as protracted disputes between prosecution and defense), preventing undue delays in victims’ recovery efforts and uncertainty regarding the timeline for asset restitution.

2. Significantly Accelerates the Recovery Process: Simplified procedures result in substantial time savings. By filing civil claims in UK courts and leveraging the impending “confiscation order” and “compensation order” as compelling evidence, the group of victims can enter the substantive stages of asset restitution negotiations and distribution earlier.

3. Expands Recovery Opportunities:The 61,000 bitcoins currently frozen were valued at approximately £1.4 billion at the time of seizure, but their value has now risen to over £5 billion. This substantial asset has become a focal point for both the UK government and Chinese investors. However, recovering the appreciated value of the bitcoins is considerably more complex:

• If the UK court chooses to apply common law, it would rely on the principle of “equitable tracing” to demonstrate that the currently frozen bitcoins indeed originate from the funds initially invested by the victims (including the appreciated portion). To achieve this, there must be supportingfund flow tracing reportsissued by professional institutions such as accounting firms and blockchain forensic companies.

• If complete tracing evidence is lacking, the court may not adopt the above principle and instead revert to the framework of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), recognizing only the principal amount as recoverable. However, it should be noted that even under POCA, a basic chain of evidence regarding fund flows must be established to prove that the relevant assets are indeed proceeds of crime; otherwise, the court cannot determine the scope of restitutable assets.

 

Next Steps

Mankun Law Firm will initiate litigation on one or more representative cases in collaboration with its UK partner law firms to secure maximum benefits for the entire group of victims. During the litigation process, we will establish victims’ ownership claims over specific bitcoin units. Meanwhile, we will negotiate with the UK Crown Prosecution Service to prevent the assets from being forfeited to the state before judgments in the representative cases are rendered.

What Should Victims Do?

• Register your information immediately to enter our registry;

• Provide details of investment amounts and timelines, receiving account information, transfer records/bank statements, contracts and receipts, and communication records with intermediaries;

• If you have previously reported the case to the police, please provide the acknowledgment receipt or case number;

• If your documentation is incomplete, please register anyway; we will provide you with a checklist to supplement materials in batches;

Engage us to represent you in asset recovery.

 

[Scan QR Code to Complete | Lantian Gerui Victim Registration Form 👇]

Legal Disclaimer:

This article is based on publicly available information and known procedural milestones, providing legal education and action guidance. It does not constitute formal legal advice for any individual case. For case-specific assessments, please consult one-on-one with our professional lawyers.