Verdict soon on Wen Qiang but penalty unlikely to be maximum

The fate of Wen Qiang, the biggest catch in Chongqing's crackdown on organised crime, may be known as soon as the end of this month, and if convicted, he is unlikely to get the maximum penalty, the city's justice chief said.

Liu Guanglei, the secretary of the municipality's Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs, told the Beijing Times that Wen's case was still under review by the court and the verdict would be delivered by late this month or early next.

Wen, a former Justice Department director, was tried last month on charges of links to gangsters, rapes and taking bribes. The delay in the verdict, which was widely reported to come soon after the Lunar New Year, had given rise to speculation that bigger political forces were at play.

But Liu said the long wait was for the court to 'clarify the details'. He also hinted that Wen was unlikely to get the maximum penalty.

Wen, 54, was the highest-ranking official among 87 Chongqing officials accused of corruption and giving protection to organised crime. News reports have gripped the nation with lurid details of sex and violence.

At least nine people have been sentenced to death, including triad bosses and a police officer.

Wen's right-hand man, Peng Changjian, a former deputy chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau and the second-highest official involved in the mafia crackdown, was sentenced to life in prison last month for corruption, possessing assets that could not be accounted for and conspiring with organised crime syndicates.