Sentence for toll-evading farmer cut
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
December 16, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A central China court has shortened the prison term for a toll-evading farmer from life to two and a half years after rehearing the case yesterday.
The People's Court of Lushan County in Henan Province handed down the new sentence for Shi Jianfeng, a farmer convicted of fraud, which included a 10,000-yuan (US$1,580) fine.
Shi was previously sentenced to life by another court for evading 3.68 million yuan of expressway tolls from 2008 to 2009. It was calculated that Shi had escaped toll fees 2,363 times.
The sentence, plus 200 million yuan in fines, caused a public outcry, with many criticizing the punishment as too harsh, and pointed out that the country's expressway tolls are too high.
The Lushan County court found after an investigation that Shi's toll evasion was valued at 492,375 yuan.
The court convicted Shi of fraud, saying he had used fake military license plates on his two trucks to evade expressway tolls while transporting sand and stones for his younger brother's firm.
His younger brother, Shi Junfeng, who surrendered after the first trial and confessed that his brother had taken the blame for him, received seven years in prison for fraud and was fined 50,000 yuan, the court ruled.
Two others involved in the case received suspended one-year jail terms for fabricating military license plates, it said. All four pleaded guilty in court.
A court official said the penalty had been meted out more fairly this time, as the average prison term for fraud is three to 10 years, according to documents issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
He said the court had shown leniency to the Shi brothers because their offences were aimed at making more profits instead of harming the public interest.
"Leniency in their case is conducive to building social harmony," the official said.
Authorities of all levels nationwide are being required to cut number of toll gates and arbitrary charges, said a joint notice issued by the ministries of transportation, finance and supervision, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Council Office for Rectifying Malpractices on June 21.
The national clean-up of highway overcharging came after a highway in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, was disclosed to collect toll fees doubling the provincial standard. The highway operator raked in 2.8 billion yuan in 14 years, far exceeding the 980 million yuan investment.
The highway operators were accused of reaping excessive profits and pushing up transport costs, earlier media reports said.
The People's Court of Lushan County in Henan Province handed down the new sentence for Shi Jianfeng, a farmer convicted of fraud, which included a 10,000-yuan (US$1,580) fine.
Shi was previously sentenced to life by another court for evading 3.68 million yuan of expressway tolls from 2008 to 2009. It was calculated that Shi had escaped toll fees 2,363 times.
The sentence, plus 200 million yuan in fines, caused a public outcry, with many criticizing the punishment as too harsh, and pointed out that the country's expressway tolls are too high.
The Lushan County court found after an investigation that Shi's toll evasion was valued at 492,375 yuan.
The court convicted Shi of fraud, saying he had used fake military license plates on his two trucks to evade expressway tolls while transporting sand and stones for his younger brother's firm.
His younger brother, Shi Junfeng, who surrendered after the first trial and confessed that his brother had taken the blame for him, received seven years in prison for fraud and was fined 50,000 yuan, the court ruled.
Two others involved in the case received suspended one-year jail terms for fabricating military license plates, it said. All four pleaded guilty in court.
A court official said the penalty had been meted out more fairly this time, as the average prison term for fraud is three to 10 years, according to documents issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
He said the court had shown leniency to the Shi brothers because their offences were aimed at making more profits instead of harming the public interest.
"Leniency in their case is conducive to building social harmony," the official said.
Authorities of all levels nationwide are being required to cut number of toll gates and arbitrary charges, said a joint notice issued by the ministries of transportation, finance and supervision, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Council Office for Rectifying Malpractices on June 21.
The national clean-up of highway overcharging came after a highway in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, was disclosed to collect toll fees doubling the provincial standard. The highway operator raked in 2.8 billion yuan in 14 years, far exceeding the 980 million yuan investment.
The highway operators were accused of reaping excessive profits and pushing up transport costs, earlier media reports said.
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