Probe set for judge who issued too-light sentence
By Leeann Li |
April 28, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A county judge in central China's Henan Province who gave a lenient sentence to a convict by issuing false statements has been placed under criminal investigation for allegedly taking bribes.
The Shanxian County People's Court overturned verdicts handed down by Shui Tao and sentenced Yang Xinhua - who crashed his heavy truck into a family sedan and killed three people last September - to prison for 3 1/2 years instead of two years.
In a trial held in March, Shui claimed Yang paid 900,000 yuan (US$143,010) in compensation to the victim's family. But the car driver, Zhang Liqiang, said he had never received a cent from Yang.
Shui later pleaded that "his eyes blurred when making the ruling" and misread the report. He even owed it to a "vague" report issued by Zhai Ermin, judge at the Hubin District court, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
According to the report, Yang promised to pay the compensation, but Shui claimed he mistook it as "Yang had compensated the victims" and gave him a lenient punishment.
"It is nonsense to make judgment based on this meaningless report," said Zhang's lawyer Mao Zhuanjiang.
Yang should have been jailed for three to seven years according to Chinese law.
When Shui tried to push responsibility to Zhai, the Shanxian court wrote Zhai an official letter, demanding he "give a detailed report about the trial."
"No payment had been made," a clearly upset Zhai wrote in his response.
The Shanxian County People's Court overturned verdicts handed down by Shui Tao and sentenced Yang Xinhua - who crashed his heavy truck into a family sedan and killed three people last September - to prison for 3 1/2 years instead of two years.
In a trial held in March, Shui claimed Yang paid 900,000 yuan (US$143,010) in compensation to the victim's family. But the car driver, Zhang Liqiang, said he had never received a cent from Yang.
Shui later pleaded that "his eyes blurred when making the ruling" and misread the report. He even owed it to a "vague" report issued by Zhai Ermin, judge at the Hubin District court, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
According to the report, Yang promised to pay the compensation, but Shui claimed he mistook it as "Yang had compensated the victims" and gave him a lenient punishment.
"It is nonsense to make judgment based on this meaningless report," said Zhang's lawyer Mao Zhuanjiang.
Yang should have been jailed for three to seven years according to Chinese law.
When Shui tried to push responsibility to Zhai, the Shanxian court wrote Zhai an official letter, demanding he "give a detailed report about the trial."
"No payment had been made," a clearly upset Zhai wrote in his response.
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