The United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service has frozen 85 luxury flats in London, tied to a Chinese national wanted by authorities in his home country over allegations of running illegal gambling operations. The announcement last week did not identify the individual, referring to him only as “Mr. X.”
Records obtained by investigative outlets have since identified him as Su Jiangbo, a 40-year-old who remains on a fugitive list published by a court in China’s Fujian province. That list, which included 38 suspects wanted for offenses ranging from fraud to cybercrime, was also carried by Chinese-language media.
During a two-year spending spree from late 2023 to mid-2025, Su allegedly used a passport issued by St. Kitts and Nevis—a Caribbean nation that sells citizenship for roughly $270,000—to set up companies in Britain and acquire properties worth at least $108 million. Among the purchases was a penthouse valued at $13 million with sweeping views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the River Thames.
The asset freeze was imposed under Unexplained Wealth Orders and Interim Freezing Orders, tools from the Proceeds of Crime Act that allow authorities to investigate the origins of assets linked to suspicious wealth. The High Court issued the orders on March 18, giving Su three months to prove the funds used for the purchases were obtained legally.
Su has not been charged with any crime in the U.K., and legal representatives for his firms did not respond to inquiries. The developer involved in the sales stated it complied with all regulations, while a person close to the sale process noted that anti-money laundering checks are required but may not catch every red flag.
Campaigners have applauded the use of Unexplained Wealth Orders, though caution that they are not always followed by seizure. The case highlights ongoing concerns about the flow of foreign funds into London’s property market, particularly through citizenship-by-investment schemes.