Evergrande files suit to recover $6b dues

A file photo shows a housing project developed by China Evergrande Group in Xiangyang, Hubei province. China Evergrande Group and its liquidators are seeking to recover about $6 billion in dividends and remuneration paid to seven people and entities related to the group, the troubled real estate developer said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange late on Monday. These include the company's former chairman Xu Jiayin, former chief executive officer Xia Haijun, former chief financial officer Pan Darong, and Ding Yumei, who was married to Xu previously and whose current relationship status with him is unclear. On March 22, the liquidators, acting on behalf of the company, initiated the legal proceedings against Xu, Xia and Pan in the Hong Kong High Court, which have, since then, expanded to the other four additional defendants, according to the filing. The writs related to the lawsuit and the Hong Kong injunctions were previously subject to a confidentiality order issued by the Hong Kong High Court, which was lifted on Friday.