Ex-planning chief gets life in bribery trial
By Xu Fang |
October 24, 2009, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A FORMER division chief in charge of construction approvals for the Pudong New Area was handed a life sentence yesterday for taking 14.85 million yuan (US$2.17 million) in bribes.
Judges at the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said Tao Jianguo, 42, received a relatively lenient punishment because he disclosed crimes of other people and returned about 370,000 yuan of the bribes.
Tao, former chief of the construction planning and environmental management department of Pudong's Waigaoqiao Bonded Area, also had all of his property confiscated and was deprived of his political rights.
In previous bribery cases involving public officials taking similar amounts, the punishment was often a suspended death sentence.
The court didn't disclose the identities of anyone else involved in the Tao case or say whether additional charges were pending.
The court found that Tao accepted a total of 1.06 million yuan in cash and 29 property units valued at 13.79 million yuan from 1999 to 2008 by exploiting his position to approve planning applications for construction land use and building projects.
Most of the payoffs came from Hong Xing, general manager of Shanghai Shengang Real Estate Co Ltd and Shanghai Xingdu Real Estate Development Co Ltd, the court said. Hong provided 690,000 yuan in cash and all the properties, including apartments and small stores. In return, Tao helped Hong obtain government approval on five projects from 2000 to 2008, the court found.
Tao took the balance of the bribes from three other real estate companies in exchange for helping them obtain government approval for their construction plans.
Tao admitted that he had received the properties and cash. But he denied they were bribes, claiming they constituted legal income from running companies and providing advice to real estate developers.
He said he was a partner in Hong's two companies. Because government officials are banned from running businesses, he remained a silent owner.
The cash and properties he received from Hong were his dividends and shares, he said.
Tao said the other developers gave him money voluntarily to show their gratitude for his advice.
Judges at the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said Tao Jianguo, 42, received a relatively lenient punishment because he disclosed crimes of other people and returned about 370,000 yuan of the bribes.
Tao, former chief of the construction planning and environmental management department of Pudong's Waigaoqiao Bonded Area, also had all of his property confiscated and was deprived of his political rights.
In previous bribery cases involving public officials taking similar amounts, the punishment was often a suspended death sentence.
The court didn't disclose the identities of anyone else involved in the Tao case or say whether additional charges were pending.
The court found that Tao accepted a total of 1.06 million yuan in cash and 29 property units valued at 13.79 million yuan from 1999 to 2008 by exploiting his position to approve planning applications for construction land use and building projects.
Most of the payoffs came from Hong Xing, general manager of Shanghai Shengang Real Estate Co Ltd and Shanghai Xingdu Real Estate Development Co Ltd, the court said. Hong provided 690,000 yuan in cash and all the properties, including apartments and small stores. In return, Tao helped Hong obtain government approval on five projects from 2000 to 2008, the court found.
Tao took the balance of the bribes from three other real estate companies in exchange for helping them obtain government approval for their construction plans.
Tao admitted that he had received the properties and cash. But he denied they were bribes, claiming they constituted legal income from running companies and providing advice to real estate developers.
He said he was a partner in Hong's two companies. Because government officials are banned from running businesses, he remained a silent owner.
The cash and properties he received from Hong were his dividends and shares, he said.
Tao said the other developers gave him money voluntarily to show their gratitude for his advice.
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