Chen Man is seen in court.(Photo/Weibo.com)
A man who spent 23 years in prison for arson and murder was found innocent of the charges on appeal, a top court in Zhejiang province announced on its official micro blog, citing insufficient evidence to sustain the verdict.
Chen Man, a native of Sichuan province, was sentenced to death in the case, though his execution was suspended by the Haikou Intermediate People's Court in Hainan province in November 1994. He was arrested at the end of 1992, accused of setting a house on fire in which a man died.
Although the provincial high people's court supported the verdict in April 1999, Chen and his family did not accept the judgment and continued their appeals.
The national top prosecuting authority lodged a protest against Chen's judgment and the Zhejiang Provincial High People's Court retried the case on April 24.
The top court ruled on Monday that Chen should be acquitted because the facts in the case were unclear and there was insufficient evidence, adding that the decision was in line with current Chinese Criminal Procedure Law.
Since 2013, under a rule of law requirement promoted by the central leadership, Chinese judicial bodies have accelerated efforts to correct cases in which there was a miscarriage of justice.
