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Olympics bribe ruling is upheld
By Li Xinran |
January 22, 2009, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A FORMER Beijing vice mayor convicted of graft in connection with 2008 Olympic construction contracts has lost his appeal of a previous death sentence ruling with two-year reprieve.
The decision against Liu Zhihua was handed down yesterday by the Hebei Higher People's Court. It upheld an October 18 ruling by the Hengshui Intermediate People's Court that found Liu guilty of taking 6.97 million yuan (US$1.02 million) in bribes.
The reprieve stipulation means that Liu's sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment if he behaves properly during the period.
The Hengshui court said the 60-year-old Liu could have been executed for his crimes, but he confessed to some of his actions and returned most of the illicit money, which won him a lighter punishment.
In his appeal, Liu claimed that as former construction director for Beijing Olympics projects, his expert advice was a "contribution" to the Games, and thus grounds for even greater leniency. The higher court found the argument unconvincing.
The lower court ruled that Liu abused his power by providing project contracts, loans and promotions to others in exchange for bribes that he and his mistress, Wang Jianrui, pocketed. Wang was convicted of taking 6 million yuan in bribes and was sentenced to eight years behind bars by the Hengshui court on October 23.
Most of the illicit money was taken by Wang from real estate developers, according to Liu's lawyer Mo Shaoping.
Wang was in charge of a construction company in Beijing, and Liu helped her firm win building projects for Olympic venues, including those for tennis, hockey and archery, according to Mao.
Liu was general director of the city's preparation headquarters for the 2008 Olympic Games. He supervised venue and infrastructure construction projects valued at billions of US dollars, according to earlier media reports.
On June 11, 2006, he was ousted from the post on corruption charges. In mid-December that year, he was handed over to prosecutors after being officially sacked, and his Party membership was revoked.
Liu became a vice mayor in 1999. He was in charge of urban planning, infrastructure construction, land and housing management, sports and railways.
He was the second high-ranking official in the Beijing city government to be punished since 1995. Chen Xitong, Beijing's former mayor and Party secretary, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1998 for corruption and dereliction of duty.
The decision against Liu Zhihua was handed down yesterday by the Hebei Higher People's Court. It upheld an October 18 ruling by the Hengshui Intermediate People's Court that found Liu guilty of taking 6.97 million yuan (US$1.02 million) in bribes.
The reprieve stipulation means that Liu's sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment if he behaves properly during the period.
The Hengshui court said the 60-year-old Liu could have been executed for his crimes, but he confessed to some of his actions and returned most of the illicit money, which won him a lighter punishment.
In his appeal, Liu claimed that as former construction director for Beijing Olympics projects, his expert advice was a "contribution" to the Games, and thus grounds for even greater leniency. The higher court found the argument unconvincing.
The lower court ruled that Liu abused his power by providing project contracts, loans and promotions to others in exchange for bribes that he and his mistress, Wang Jianrui, pocketed. Wang was convicted of taking 6 million yuan in bribes and was sentenced to eight years behind bars by the Hengshui court on October 23.
Most of the illicit money was taken by Wang from real estate developers, according to Liu's lawyer Mo Shaoping.
Wang was in charge of a construction company in Beijing, and Liu helped her firm win building projects for Olympic venues, including those for tennis, hockey and archery, according to Mao.
Liu was general director of the city's preparation headquarters for the 2008 Olympic Games. He supervised venue and infrastructure construction projects valued at billions of US dollars, according to earlier media reports.
On June 11, 2006, he was ousted from the post on corruption charges. In mid-December that year, he was handed over to prosecutors after being officially sacked, and his Party membership was revoked.
Liu became a vice mayor in 1999. He was in charge of urban planning, infrastructure construction, land and housing management, sports and railways.
He was the second high-ranking official in the Beijing city government to be punished since 1995. Chen Xitong, Beijing's former mayor and Party secretary, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1998 for corruption and dereliction of duty.
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