Craving for gemstone leads to deputy governor’s downfall
Print Edition
NI Fake, a former deputy governor of east China’s Anhui Province who is said to have had a craving for jade, admitted bribery charges when he appeared in court yesterday.
Ni exploited his positions as mayor of Lu’an City and deputy governor of Anhui between 2000 and 2012 to seek profits for nine companies, helping them in project planning, house demolition and resettlement for land development.
In return, the 60-year-old accepted 49 bribes, including cash, gemstones and artworks worth about 13 million yuan (US$2.1 million), prosecutors in Dongying City in east China’s Shandong Province said.
He also couldn’t explain how and where he obtained another 5.8 million yuan, Dongying Intermediate People’s Court heard.
A verdict will be announced later.
Ni, a native of Jiangsu Province, began his career in Anhui in 1970 and joined the Party in 1973. He became deputy governor of Anhui in 2008, managing local land and resources issues.
He was investigated in June last year for suspected violations of Party discipline and three months later sacked from his post and expelled from the Party.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said that Ni, who had appointed himself honorary chairman of the provincial jewelry industry association, was obsessed with collecting jade.
He wore jade accessories every day and went to jade stores every weekend. Even when he was on business trips, he would find the time to visit local jade markets, the watchdog said.
Ni had let everyone know he liked jade, implying that he craved jade items, leading several businessmen to cater to his expensive habit.
According to Xinhua news agency, Ni believed that it was safe to accept jade items as bribes under the pretext of exchanging views and knowledge about the popular and precious gemstone.
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