Two Corrupt Officials Executed in Campaign against Corruption

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 20, 2001

Two Corrupt Officials Executed in Campaign against Corruption

Two former officials of Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, were executed Wednesday in a large-scale corruption case that involved 16 officials. The two officials are Ma Xiangdong, former vice mayor, and Guo Jiusi, former deputy director of the finance bureau and deputy director of the administration of state-owned assets.

Two Officials Sentenced to Death for Corruption

Two top officials of the northeastern city of Shenyang involved in a web of corruption which toppled the municipal government, were executed on Wednesday.

Shenyang's former vice mayor Ma Xiangdong and public property chief Guo Jiuci were sentenced to death in October for taking enormous sums in bribes, "bringing heavy economic losses to the nation".

Ma and Guo appealed the original sentence to the higher people's court, but their appeals were rejected.

Ma Xiangdong was convicted of taking bribes of 9.76 million yuan, embezzling 120,000 US dollars, and misappropriating 390,000 US dollars. He also had another 10.68 million yuan of income that could not be explained to investigators, according to the court.

Guo Jiusi took advantage of his position and accepted bribes of more than two million yuan and embezzled a large amount of public funds.

Courts handed former mayor Mu Suixin and two others suspended death sentences in the graft scandal, which brought down 16 Shenyang officials.

Mayor Mu was forced to resign last December over the spectacular scandal linking mobsters to top officials in Shenyang, China's fifth largest city.

Among those alleged to have paid him was city legislator Liu Yong, who was arrested this year on charges of leading an armed gang which committed assault, blackmail and tax evasion.

Mayor Mu received a two-year reprieve on his death sentence because he admitted and expressed regret for his crimes.

Determination

Ren Jianming, head of the office for research on corruption with Qinghua University, says the phenomenon of an increased number of high-ranking officials being prosecuted and tried this year has shown that China is determined to fight against corruption.

The clear-cut attitude of the government in the fight against corruption has pleased ordinary Chinese people. A worker with the Environmental Protection Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region says: "The fall of some high-ranking officials shows the Party and the central government have been taking determined action against corruption."

Experts believe that corruption is a common global problem. Three generations of the CPC's leading collectives, with Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin at the helm, have always paid great attention to the fight against corruption.

The sixth plenary session of the 15th CPC Central Committee lists intensifying and improving the work style of the Party and fighting against corruption as major elements in the construction of a ruling party.

Efforts Fruitful

An official with the Chinese Ministry of Supervision admits that China has achieved satisfactory results in its fight against corruption.

People are showing more confidence in the government's efforts to fight corruption and have been actively participating in the drive.

Statistics show that since last year hundreds of thousands of Chinese have reported cases of corruption through various channels. With the support of Party committees, the media have also moved in to step up supervision of the anti-corruption drive.

In the meantime, more books, movies and TV plays featuring anti- corruption are being produced and have become popular. Corruption and anti-corruption are often talked about in the street.

Cao Qingze, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, says the number of major cases being brought to trial have frightened corruptive elements and have also served as a deterrent to others.

By People's Daily Online

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