China tackled 17,084 commercial bribery cases from August 2005
to the end of 2006, involving more than 4.5 billion yuan (US$577
million).
The information was released on Thursday by Li Yubin, deputy
director of the leading group on combating commercial bribery under
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Li said that more than 2.6 million enterprises and governmental
departments have conducted self-inspection activities, recovering
417 million yuan (US$53.46 million) of illegal earnings since China
started the campaign tackling cases of commercial corruption or
commercial bribery.
"Issues concerning common people's immediate interests and those
disturbing market order have been put as top concern in the
campaign," said Li, though admitting that in some areas, the
commercial bribery remains serious.
He said campaign will focus on punishment on officials who take
bribes by making use of their positions. China will also push
forward transparency of government affairs.
Those enterprises and individuals involving in commercial
bribery will be punished severely and included in the blacklist, Li
added.
Li also reported 20 commercial bribery cases tackled in the
campaign which include former president of China Construction Bank
(CCB), Zhang Enzhao, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in
November 2006, for taking bribes totaling 4.2 million yuan
(US$538,000).
Liu Lianlian, former vice director of the State-owned Assets
Supervision and Administration Commission of Hainan Province, was
sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes totaling 4 million
yuan (US$513,000), and possession of a huge unidentified property
of about US$2.5 million.
Fang Ji, former head of Xinhui District People's Hospital in
Jiangmen, in south China's Guangdong Province, was sentenced to 10
years in prison for taking 1,639,700 yuan (US$210,000rs) worth of
car, house and cash from pharmaceutical companies.
The hospital was also fined for taking 7.85 million yuan (US$1
million) in rebates from pharmaceutical companies, according to a
verdict from the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court.
Kuang Bingwen, former director of Anhui Provincial Bureau of
Finance, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after being
convicted of taking bribes of 1.28 million yuan and US$51,000.
Hao Heping, former director of the medical equipment department
of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), was sentenced to
15 years in prison for taking bribes.
Xu Fangming, former director of the finance department of
China's Ministry of Finance, was sentenced to 13 years in prison
for taking bribes of 2.15 million yuan.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2007)