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May 1, 2014

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Ex-official paid for priests’ magic spells

A FORMER deputy Party chief of southwest China’s Sichuan Province reportedly paid millions of yuan to a geomancer to find a good place for his family’s tomb and hired Taoist priests to cast a spell to bring descendants good luck.

Li Chuncheng, 58, also hired priests to cast spells when an important investment project in the provincial capital of Chengdu hit a rough patch, China Business News reported.

It also said Deng Hong, chairman of Chengdu Exhibition and Travel Group, was investigated in February 2013 for giving Li 3 million yuan (US$480,000) when Li moved the tomb from northeast China’s Liaoning Province to Dujiangyan, a famous scenic spot in Chengdu.

In a statement released yesterday, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate said it was investigating Li for alleged bribe taking.

The top procuratorate said it had imposed “coercive measures” on Li in accordance with the law.

Earlier this week, the Party’s disciplinary watchdog said Li had been removed from his post and kicked out of the Party.

It said he had taken advantage of his position to seek gains for others in return for bribes.

The watchdog also said Li had abused his power to carry out “superstitious activities,” resulting in huge losses of public money. It didn’t specify how much money Li was alleged to have taken in kickbacks but it said Li’s wife, daughter and brother all benefited from his abuse of power.

Li’s wife, Qu Songshi, has been removed from her post as vice director of the Red Cross Society in Chengdu and is under investigation, CBN said.

Qu, then an ordinary member of staff, was made director of Chengdu Health Bureau’s technology division after Li became Party Secretary of Chengdu.

She later became vice director of the Red Cross but seldom went to work, CBN said.

CBN also said that Li was reputed to have had many mistresses.

Li was first put under investigation for alleged discipline violations in October 2012.




 

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