When they gave her the internship, Valeo was reportedly thrilled to have such a prodigy.
- From: ggg <goodgutgut@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 02:14:16 GMT
UPDATED: 16:30, June 24, 2005
Li Li: a trainee or a spy?
Li Li, a Chinese girl student in France who was previously suspected
by French judicial authority of "grabbing business secrets", was
released on parole on June 20, ending her 53-day detainment at a
women's prison in Versailles. It is said that the French judicial
authority will hold the final ruling and release the result in the
near term. The truth of the so-called "Chinese girl student's spying
case" which was much fussed about by the French media will come to
light very soon.
Exaggerated facts
22-year-old Li Li is from Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei
Province. In the autumn of 2001, she was chosen for the student
exchange program launched by Universite de Technologie de Compiegne
and Chinese high schools, and later went to study in France with 22
fellow students. In February this year, Li passed the interview with
VALEO, an auto component company and started her six-month life as a
trainee there.
On April 29, Li went to work on time, but what awaited her were French
police, showing her an investigation decree for "credit abuse" and
"inbreak of the computer information system". The police directly sent
Li, who was totally unaware of the case, to the women's prison in
Versailles.
After that, various major French media jumped on the bandwagon to
sensationalize Li's arrest. Those media described Li as a "girl spy"
who is "exceptionally intelligent", claiming that she not only is
proficient in five languages -- French, English, German, Spanish and
Arabic -- but also is adept at hacking; she broke into the computer
system of VALEO and grabbed a large amount of business secret. Some
media rumored that French police found six computers and two
"powerfully functioning" mobile hard discs. The news of "Chinese girl
spy" was immediately turned into a hubbub in France.
The dean of Li's university told reporter of TF1 that all the facts
were exaggerated and, judging from the current situation, it is likely
that Li is just an ordinary student.
The dean said, in February 2002, Li, a 19-year-old girl who just
settled in France, did not catch much attention from others. However,
three years later, she became an outstanding student. Her strong area
is material science but she is just so-so in foreign languages and
computer. The dean says he hasn't heard about Li's talent in foreign
languages. As he knows, Li's French was average, English is a required
course, but she failed to pass until the third exam, so she cannot be
considered familiar with the two foreign languages. Her German is just
elementary, and he does not know where she learned Spanish and
Abrabic, maybe at night school or at weekend, anyhow, not at the
university.
With regard to computer, the police found at Li and her boyfriend's
home the computer Li bought in France at a cost of 900 euros and
another computer that belonged to her boyfriend. Moreover, the police
even took the trouble to go to the home of the parents of Li's
boyfriend and found an outdated computer -- that's all the equipment
of the so-called "Chinese girl spy".
Mistake due to ignorance
Li admitted in front of the police that she did download some
documents from the computer of the company to her mobile hard disc.
However, she did not, as reported, hack the website of the company. Li
also denied stealing any industrial secret. Her downloading the
documents of the company was totally for her convenience to study at
home and to complete her internship thesis. After she was detained,
she was taken by police to her company to get evidence. She opened the
company's computer for trainees and brought out the documents she
downloaded easily--no need for a hacker. When she tried to recall the
content of the documents, Li said, three of them might be sensitive:
two of which were reports done by previous trainees which concern the
design of BMW models and components and what's most crucial was the
third document, which contains VALEO's development plan in China from
2005 to 2006. Sources say, it was just for this secret document, which
disappeared after being downloaded by Li, that VALEO accused her.
Most Chinese students in France think that the assiduity of Chinese is
beyond the imagination of French people and Li might make the mistake
for lacking knowledge about local laws, but it is a bit too
exaggerating if Li's acts were described as "industrial spying".
Chinese Embassy highly concerned
According to an official with Chinese Embassy in France, the embassy
has been highly concerned about the "Li Li case" after its occurrence
and immediately sent personnel of the educational and consular
departments of the embassy to follow the development of the case.
Paris-based Chinese Embassy in France introduced the latest
development of the case at a press conference on June 22. The
spokesman of the embassy said that Li was on parole under the judicial
control by France. The spokesman reiterated that Li is just an
ordinary student studying in France and it is hoped that the
departments concerned can properly handle the case to enable Li to
return to school at an early date to complete her studies in France.
Prior to this, officials with the Chinese Embassy in France visited Li
during her detainment and had contact with VALEO.
By People's Daily Online
French court upholds release of Chinese girl suspected of "espionage"
www.chinaview.cn 2005-06-25 02:44:40
PARIS, June 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The French Court of Appeal of
Versailles upheld on Friday the release of the Chinese girl student,
Li Li, suspected of getting business secrets from a French company,
according to her lawyer Raphael Pacouret.
The 22-year-old Chinese girl came to France from the central
Chinese city of Wuhan to study science at Universite de Technologie de
Compiegne in Paris.
She was accused on April 29 of "attack on computer information
system" and "credit abuse" when she worked in her six-month-long
probationary period in the French firm Valeo, focusing on design,
production, and sale components, systems and modules for cars and
trucks.
She was freed in the condition of temporary release on parole
under French judicial control on Monday after spending 53 days in
Versailles prison for women in Paris.
Public prosecutor's office appealed against the decision to
release the young girl, while the Court of Appeal upheld the girl's
freedom in stressing on her judicial control that forbids her towork
in a French company of administration.
Being freed, Li Li told journalists that she was happy to be able
to continue her studies. "I'll also call my parents who are very
worried and are waiting for my news in China," said she.
According to Pacouret, the decision will give back her honesty and
make the inquiry more clear.
The Chinese Embassy in France has been attaching great attention
to the "Li Li case", said a spokesperson with the Chinese Embassy in
France on Wednesday at a news conference.
"I reiterate that Li Li is but an ordinary Chinese student in
France. I hope relevant departments in France could handle the case
appropriately as soon as possible so as to ensure her earliest return
to school," said the spokesperson.
.
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