(Bloomberg)—The billionaire co-founder of Chinese language property developer Guangzhou R&F Properties Co. Ltd., Zhang Li, is needed within the US over allegations he supplied kickbacks to safe contracts in California.

Zhang, a former authorities official who rose to steer considered one of China’s largest actual property corporations, was arrested on Nov. 30 by London police and is going through extradition proceedings. He’s contesting his switch to the US.

Decide John Zani granted bail of £15 million ($18.4 million) on Monday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket, the joint highest sum ever recorded for the UK courts. He’ll be confined 24 hours a day in an condominium on the forty third flooring of a London tower, monitored by safety and CCTV.

The 69-year-old Zhang is alleged to have “supplied kickbacks and funds to co-conspirators as a way to get hold of the suitable permits for a development mission,” in response to a court docket itemizing.

R&F did enterprise within the US via a home affiliate. Amongst different initiatives, the corporate was answerable for a big, multi million-dollar mixed-use residential and industrial improvement mission in San Francisco, the itemizing says.

Zhang’s lawyer declined to remark exterior court docket. Hong Kong-listed R&F Properties, which is offering £10 million of the bail, mentioned on its official WeChat account that it deliberate to combat what it referred to as “false allegations” that Zhang was charged with bribery “for internet hosting a dinner in China for a former public affairs government in San Francisco and offering him with resort lodging.”

He will probably be housed in a 5-bedroom condominium, full with former army operatives on guard in 12-hour shifts. The safety operation will price some £200,000 a month, the court docket was instructed. Zhang will probably be denied any machine that connects to the web.

The purpose is to attempt to replicate as intently as doable the requirements of a prisoner on remand, the safety operations supervisor instructed the court docket.

Zhang based R&F with Hong Kong native and a former dealer, Li Sze Lim, and made their identify by buying a big land parcel in suburban Guangzhou and later promoting it for a giant revenue.

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