UK Freezes $72m London Townhouse in Connection to Sanctioned Prince Group Associate

UK authorities froze a townhouse in Belgravia, London, in late August 2026. Land Registry records show the property was bought in October 2023 for £53 million, about $72 million, by Zhao Chen, a China-born Cypriot citizen. She has not been sanctioned.

The freeze relates to her husband, Wu An Ming, whom the UK has designated as an asset freeze target. OCCRP reports that Wu An Ming is one of several identities used by Hu Xiaowei, a China-born man sanctioned by both the UK and the US over alleged involvement with the Prince Group.

Until December 2025 Zhao Chen was a shareholder in AB Digital Technology Resort Lda, a company connected to a planned resort in Timor-Leste whose majority shareholder and managing director have been sanctioned over alleged Prince Group links.

The Prince Group denies wrongdoing, with a spokesperson rejecting the accusations and describing the conglomerate as a collection of legitimate businesses. Hu Xiaowei also faces asset freezes in Hong Kong, a money laundering investigation in Singapore and an indictment in Taiwan.

Article Credit: https://www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-freezes-72-million-london-townhouse-in-connection-to-sanctioned-prince-group-associate