China ‘executes’ justice official
State media reports former deputy police chief executed over corruption scandal.
Wen’s case was part of a huge operation that exposed illegal activities in Chongqing, a city of more than 30 million people, as well as highlighting China’s problem of rampant official corruption.
The crackdown resulted in more than 3,300 detentions and hundreds of prosecutions, including the trials of nearly 100 officials. Several people have already reportedly been executed or sentenced to death in the trials.
It has also captured public attention, attributed to lurid details of the cases revealed in court.
‘Corrupt activities’
Wen allegedly raped a number of women including film and music personalities, as well as having affairs with subordinates.
He was also found guilty of taking more than $2 million in bribes and engaging in a range of corrupt activities.
At his trial in February, Wen admitted he took money from others on numerous occasions but said that no corruption was involved and much of it was for “birthday and New Year” greetings, according to state media.
Wen was tried with his wife, Zhou Xiaoya, and three former Chongqing police associates, all of whom received jail sentences of up to 20 years.
Last November, Wen’s sister-in-law Xie Caiping was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of running illegal gambling venues and drug dealing.
The crackdown is widely seen as a bid by Bo Xilai – who was appointed Communist Party secretary in Chongqing in 2007 – to move up in the national hierarchy via political maneouvring.