Opinion | Beijing traffic chief under scrutiny over car plate lottery
Song Jianguo, head of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, is being investigated by the party’s discipline authorities over allegations of rigging a car licence plate scheme, said China’s Economy and Nation Weekly on Thursday.
Song Jianguo, head of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, is being investigated by the party’s discipline authorities over allegations of rigging a car licence plate scheme, China’s Economy and Nation Weekly reported on Thursday.
Song is accused of manipulating Beijing’s car plate lottery, according to a source interviewed by the Economy and Nation Weekly. Car buyers applying for plates are selected by lottery because of high demand. About 1.26 million applicants competed for fewer than 20,000 plates this month alone.
So when the name “Liu Xuemei” was drawn in seven consecutive rounds, many people suspected foul play. Netizens soon discovered that Liu Xuemei was the name of the director of the vehicle and driver management department of the Ministry of Public Security.
Liu is also in charge of drafting rules for vehicle permits. But the government tried to explain that more than 75 people with the name “Liu Xuemei” had entered the contest over the years.