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January 6, 2011

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Ex-official gets 4 years for libeling superior

A FORMER government official in south China's Guangdong Province has been sentenced to four years in prison for libeling his boss.

Liang Ruiqiang, former deputy director of Gaoming District of Foshan City, claimed the evidence was obtained illegally by police and that he didn't spread any rumors about Ma Liangzhao, the district's Party chief, reported Guangzhou Daily yesterday.

On Tuesday, the People's Court of Chancheng District in Foshan heard that, from July 2009, Liang tried to defame Ma by posting libellous claims on several Chinese online forums.

The posts said Ma took massive bribes from companies to help them get approval for construction projects and that Ma's "mistress" - who later turned out to be fictional - teamed up with another lover and stole 5 million yuan (US$755,515) worth of kickbacks from Ma's apartment in June 2008.

But an investigation by anti-corruption authorities found Liang, not Ma, was guilty of graft. He was convicted of taking 150,000 yuan in bribes in exchange for helping two companies win contracts.

Liang's accomplices, Liang Weixiong and Lin Jianbo, also pled not guilty to libel, although they admitted helping Liang publish the rumors online. Liang Ruiqiang came up with the idea of defaming Ma after Ma requested city auditors to check the fiscal status of a company, Hengda, with which Liang Ruiqiang was involved, the court heard.




 

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