The government of President Xi Jinping has not eased up in its commitment to punish corruption among Chinese officials. In a recent case, National Bureau of Statistics chief Wang Baoan was convicted to life in prison for trading political influence for money, sex, gifts, property and business concessions, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Some 153 million yuan (US$22.4 million) were directly and indirectly linked to Wang, reported the Macau Daily Times.
President Xi’s war on corruption has been central to his administration since he rose to the head of the Communist Party in 2012. Cases were reportedly launched against 48 senior officials in 2016, and earlier this month, former Inner Mongolia Police Chief Zhao Liping was executed after he was convicted of murder, taking bribes and other charges. Zhao’s family protested that he was tortured during his interrogation.
Wang’s crimes reportedly stretch back to 1994 and continued for more than two decades. During that period, he also served in the State Administration of Taxation and the Ministry of Finance. Xinhua described Wang as “morally bankrupt” and accused him of trading power and money for sex “insatiably.” His personal property will be confiscated as part of his sentence.
Six other senior public officials were sentenced in corruption cases involving 650 million yuan (US$95.7 million) in bribes. Three of them also received life sentences for bribery and embezzlement: Lu Ziyue, former mayor of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province; Chen Xuefeng, former member of the standing committee of the Communist Party in Henan Province; and Liu Zhigeng, former vice governor of Guangdong Province. Shorter prison sentences were given to the others, Xinhua reported.
