Top Biz News

Top cop's asset trail key to case

By Wang Huazhong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-06 11:25

Family unable to account for suspicious wealth amassed

CHONGQING: Prosecutors continue to present evidence to a local court to break down suspicious assets and spending totaling 30.94 million yuan ($4.55 million) of the family of Wen Qiang, former police chief, justice bureau director and alleged gang protector.

Besides facing charges of accepting bribes and possessing suspicious assets, which were aggregated as part of the figure, Wen also went on trial on Tuesday for protecting gangs and the repeated rape of a college girl.

Prosecutors said total assets and spending of Wen's family reached 30.94 million yuan - almost 84 times the 370,000 yuan Wen's family had saved in 1992 when Wen began to work for the municipal police bureau.

In terms of income, the family could legally explain 4.06 million yuan, while 16.25 million yuan was gained illegally, prosecutors said.

A total of 15.46 million yuan were the product of bribes from 19 organizations or individuals given to Wen or through his wife on 119 occasions from 1996 to 2009, when Wen was deputy director of the municipal's police bureau or director of its justice bureau.

And 786,536 yuan was accepted between 2000 and 2008 from six bosses of mafia-style organizations, who have been convicted or are under prosecution.

This includes 181 bottles of vintage wine, 80 pieces of jewelry and watches, 36 fine works of art, nine cultural relics and 69 rolls of paintings - all recovered from 16 properties owned by the family, according to prosecutors.

On the spending side, 120,000 yuan was spent by Wen on prostitution, prosecutors added.

Deducting all earnings and spending, the family is left unable to account for 10.62 million yuan, according to the indictment.

Locals told China Daily they were "shocked by the immense sum of dirty money" that had been amassed.

"He must receive a heavy punishment. Nothing else can pacify people's anger," said a local taxi driver who declined to be named.

"I watched it on the TV," said 56-year-old street vendor Zhang Jiajun. "Everyone paid Wen at least 10,000 yuan in tributes on his birthday. That's almost my whole year's earnings."

Insurance salesman Huang Yu, 30, said: "Apparently, he is accustomed to receiving many gifts and turning a blind eye to accept bribes from gang bosses as well.

"Now everyone understands how corruption is related to the dire situation of growing organized gangs."

Wen claimed he "has never misused power" for material gain and denied the bribery charge.

He also challenged in court that the family's assets are "overly valued" or "unreasonably calculated" and suggested inflation should be taken into account.

Wen said a monetary reward, usually around 400,000 yuan, is given to the police investigating team when a major crime is solved and he had been involved in several of these campaigns.

Moreover, he claimed he received a huge bonus for snaring gang boss Zhang Jun, which was not taken into account by the figures.

The lawyer defending Wen's wife agreed the sum representing the family's total assets was "problematic" and blown out of proportion.

The lawyer Ni Zerenle told China Daily yesterday that Wen's wife, Zhou Xiaoya, had confessed during the police investigation and completely agreed with all of the prosecutor's accusations in order to gain leniency in the case.

Since his wife was in charge of the family's finances, Wen could not check the figures. So he was surprised to discover the family owned 16 properties, some of which Zhou reportedly bought as security in case Wen divorced her, Ni added.