A mainland court has rejected the appeal of fallen flower baron Yang

Bin, sentenced to 18 years in jail for commercial crimes in a case

that emerged soon after North Korea named him the head of a planned

free trade zone.

The High People's Court of Liaoning province yesterday upheld Yang's

conviction in July of contract fraud, forgery, illegal use of farmland

and other crimes, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Dutch citizen Yang, the orchid grower ranked China's second-richest

man by Forbes magazine in 2001, was detained last October just days

after Pyongyang unveiled plans for a free-trade enclave he was to run

on the Chinese border.

Meanwhile the possibility emerged that Yang, 40, could be deported to

the Netherlands.

The pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po newspaper said a meeting would be arranged

between the disgraced chairman of Hong Kong-listed Euro-Asia

Agricultural (Holdings) and Dutch Embassy staff today. The paper

quoted an embassy official who attended the appeal hearing as saying

the Dutch would consider the possibility of deportation.

Yang was accompanied by six lawyers and several representatives of his

company at the hearing, which began on Saturday morning.

A second secretary, commercial first secretary and a translator from

the Dutch embassy were in court.

Entering the court room, Yang waved to his friends and family members

with a "V" sign, declaring loudly: "I believe justice will rule

that I am not guilty."

The Wen Wei Po report said Yang had said he was not ready to sell his

pet project, an enclave of Dutch-style villas in the Liaoning

provincial capital, Shenyang. Reports said overseas investors had

expressed interest in buying the project.

All rights reserved.