Actor Deng Lun, 31, was fined 106 million yuan ($16.6 million) for tax evasion following the discovery of irregularities in his reported income in 2019 and 2020.

Before this scandal broke, Deng was a favourite spokesperson for brands including Bally, Bulgari, Roger Vivier and L’Oréal.

The news was released on China’s Weibo platform on March 15 by a division of the Shanghai Taxation Bureau and quickly became a trending topic.

Deng is said by authorities to have evaded personal income tax of 47.6 million yuan, as well as underpaying further taxable amounts to the tune of 13.9 million yuan.

The star’s social media presence on Weibo and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, is no longer accessible. Brands that once worked with the star have also taken down content that features Deng.

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