Official Sentenced to Death for Murder and Accepting BribesA leading official in the city of Pingdingshan, central China's Henan Province, received the death sentence Tuesday for his involvement in a hired-killing and bribery scheme, according to sources from the Supreme People's Court.Li Changhe, former secretary of the political and law committee of the city, has also been stripped of his political rights for life by the Intermediate People's Court of Anyang City, Henan Province. Court investigations showed that in his capacity as the committee's secretary, Li hired two hit-men to murder Lu Jingyi, deputy head of a township of Pingdingshan City. Li suspected that Lu was responsible for organizing township farmers' numerous visits to higher authorities to complain about the city's illegal collection of fees from farmers. On the evening of June 18, 1999, the two hired killers broke into Lu's home, fatally stabbed Lu's wife and seriously injured Lu. The investigations also showed that Li had taken bribes worth of 138,000 yuan (about 16,000 US dollars) while he was the committee's secretary. |
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