Wang Huaizhong, former vice governor of east China's Anhui
Province, was executed Thursday in Jinan, provincial capital of
east China's Shandong
Province after being sentenced to death in December for taking
bribes.
He was put to death by lethal injection, but was allowed to meet
with his family before the execution.
Wang's penalty was approved by the Supreme People's Court. Prior
to that ruling, he lost an appeal for a lighter penalty in January
at the Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court.
Wang, 57, was sentenced to death in December by the Intermediate
People's Court of Jinan for taking bribes valued at 5.17 million
yuan (US$623,000) from 1994 to 2001, and possessing 4.8 million
yuan (US$580,000) that he could not account for.
He was on trial in Jinan, Shandong Province, instead of Anhui to
prevent possible collusion between Wang and other related local
officials, according to sources with the Central Commission for
Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Wang is the third senior corrupt official at the provincial or
ministerial level to be sentenced to death since 1978, according to
sources.
The previous two were Hu Changqing, former vice governor of east
China's Jiangxi Province and Cheng Kejie, governor of south China's
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Wang acted as secretary of the Fuyang Municipal Committee of the
CPC in 1996, and was elected vice governor of Anhui Province in
1999.
He was arrested in 2002 under suspicion of taking bribes.
It was confirmed by the Supreme People's Court that besides
taking bribes, Wang extorted bribes on four separate occasions,
which carries a heavier punishment according to law.
Some of the bribes taken by Wang were used to obstruct
investigations by relevant authorities into his corrupt actions,
said court sources.
"Wang's crimes are very serious and have caused great harm to
society," said sources with the court's collegial bench who are
dealing with reviewing cases in which a death sentence has been
passed.
All of Wang's personal property was confiscated according to the
court decision, which also deprived him of his political rights for
life.
(China Daily February 13, 2004)