Watchdog pooh-poohs online graft accusation
By Wang Xiang |
March 18, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PARTY disciplinary watchdogs in Wenzhou City have defended the innocence of officials incriminated by an online post accusing them of buying houses at extremely low prices from real estate developers.
Authorities of the Zhejiang Province city said in a press conference yesterday that only three of the 32 real estate officials named in the post recently bought houses, and the houses were purchased at market price.
Even these three were only helping their relatives to buy the houses, the authorities said.
The press conference only lasted five minutes, and no questions were allowed.
But this explanation failed to win over people in Wenzhou.
Sarcastic comments were everywhere in the city's online forum, marveling at the "extraordinary effectiveness" of the disciplinary department that revealed the explanation less than one day after stepping into the investigation.
According to the official explanation, the three officials were buying the houses at 28,000 yuan per square meter, still lower than the market price of over 30,000 yuan.
Authorities said the developer of the complex had offered a 2 percent discount for anyone who bought houses within one week of it going on sale. But one post on the local online forum said no Wenzhou people have ever heard of such a big discount.
The reporters failed to contact any official with the Wenzhou real estate administrative bureau because the doors was closed and officials were "on business trips."
The whistle-blower post revealed tricks of how to bribe real estate officials.
With no one daring to exchange cash directly, most developers would sell their houses to government officials at low prices and let them gain by selling the houses again.
The poster also said he had solid evidence of the officials buying houses and would make it public if authorities denied the charges.
Authorities of the Zhejiang Province city said in a press conference yesterday that only three of the 32 real estate officials named in the post recently bought houses, and the houses were purchased at market price.
Even these three were only helping their relatives to buy the houses, the authorities said.
The press conference only lasted five minutes, and no questions were allowed.
But this explanation failed to win over people in Wenzhou.
Sarcastic comments were everywhere in the city's online forum, marveling at the "extraordinary effectiveness" of the disciplinary department that revealed the explanation less than one day after stepping into the investigation.
According to the official explanation, the three officials were buying the houses at 28,000 yuan per square meter, still lower than the market price of over 30,000 yuan.
Authorities said the developer of the complex had offered a 2 percent discount for anyone who bought houses within one week of it going on sale. But one post on the local online forum said no Wenzhou people have ever heard of such a big discount.
The reporters failed to contact any official with the Wenzhou real estate administrative bureau because the doors was closed and officials were "on business trips."
The whistle-blower post revealed tricks of how to bribe real estate officials.
With no one daring to exchange cash directly, most developers would sell their houses to government officials at low prices and let them gain by selling the houses again.
The poster also said he had solid evidence of the officials buying houses and would make it public if authorities denied the charges.
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