13 years' jail for ex-official in sex video
Source: Xinhua |
June 29, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LEI Zhengfu, a former Party official implicated in a sex scandal that transfixed China, was yesterday sentenced to 13 years in jail for bribery.
Lei, a portly, pop-eyed ex-Party secretary of a district in southwest China's Chongqing City, was caught on video having sex with a young woman, with the clip ricocheting around China's gossip-obsessed Internet when it surfaced last November.
Lei was also fined 300,000 yuan (US$48,554) at the Chongqing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
Lei took advantage of his position and provided help to local companies in exchange for bribes from March 2007 to November 2012, the court said.
Lei asked a businessman surnamed Ming for 3 million yuan in February 2008 after being blackmailed by Xiao Ye, a man who conspired with others to lure officials into having sex with women.
The court believed Lei asked Ming to lend the money to Xiao to avoid the release of his sex video with Zhao Hongxia, despite knowing it was a case of extortion. Lei also accepted the fact that Ming decided not to claim repayment after Xiao refused to return the money, the court said.
Although Lei asked Xiao to return 1 million yuan to Ming's company in November 2010, the court believed this did not affect Lei's acceptance of bribes.
Lei also received US$10,000 and a watch from a businessman surnamed Yin for securing funds for Yin's company in July 2011, although Lei later surrendered the watch to the Party's Beibei District Committee office.
At the beginning of 2012, Lei helped a doctor surnamed Fan obtain promotion at a hospital in Chongqing, with Lei's wife receiving 100,000 yuan from Fan later with Lei's permission.
The court said Lei used his position to obtain benefits for others and accepted bribes totalling more than 3.16 million yuan.
Lei said he would be consulting with his lawyer over whether to appeal.
After the 55-year-old's appearance in a sex video that was posted online in November, he was removed from his post and detained by police on February 1.
In early May, he was expelled from the Party.
The case should be a profound lesson for other government officials, said Zhou Zucheng, vice president of the Administrative Law School of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law.
"It is of great importance to restrict and monitor government officials in their power operations," he said.
Zhou said some business people pursue benefits by associating with government officials, whose unrestrained power offers opportunities for those who wish to obtain illegal profits.
Lei, a portly, pop-eyed ex-Party secretary of a district in southwest China's Chongqing City, was caught on video having sex with a young woman, with the clip ricocheting around China's gossip-obsessed Internet when it surfaced last November.
Lei was also fined 300,000 yuan (US$48,554) at the Chongqing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
Lei took advantage of his position and provided help to local companies in exchange for bribes from March 2007 to November 2012, the court said.
Lei asked a businessman surnamed Ming for 3 million yuan in February 2008 after being blackmailed by Xiao Ye, a man who conspired with others to lure officials into having sex with women.
The court believed Lei asked Ming to lend the money to Xiao to avoid the release of his sex video with Zhao Hongxia, despite knowing it was a case of extortion. Lei also accepted the fact that Ming decided not to claim repayment after Xiao refused to return the money, the court said.
Although Lei asked Xiao to return 1 million yuan to Ming's company in November 2010, the court believed this did not affect Lei's acceptance of bribes.
Lei also received US$10,000 and a watch from a businessman surnamed Yin for securing funds for Yin's company in July 2011, although Lei later surrendered the watch to the Party's Beibei District Committee office.
At the beginning of 2012, Lei helped a doctor surnamed Fan obtain promotion at a hospital in Chongqing, with Lei's wife receiving 100,000 yuan from Fan later with Lei's permission.
The court said Lei used his position to obtain benefits for others and accepted bribes totalling more than 3.16 million yuan.
Lei said he would be consulting with his lawyer over whether to appeal.
After the 55-year-old's appearance in a sex video that was posted online in November, he was removed from his post and detained by police on February 1.
In early May, he was expelled from the Party.
The case should be a profound lesson for other government officials, said Zhou Zucheng, vice president of the Administrative Law School of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law.
"It is of great importance to restrict and monitor government officials in their power operations," he said.
Zhou said some business people pursue benefits by associating with government officials, whose unrestrained power offers opportunities for those who wish to obtain illegal profits.
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