Update | From stashes of gold to a 'pistol-shaped house': Chinese document details depths of officials' corruption
One cadre's illegal stash filled four trucks while another's illicit funds wore out four bill counters
Former general Gu Junshan allegedly embezzled more than 20 billion yuan (HK$25 billion) in public money, according to a document containing details of several recent corruption cases.
The document - a transcript of a Hebei prosecutor's lecture to local officials in January, which was reported by magazine - is available on the Hebei Federation of Trade Unions' website.
According to the transcript, Gu, former deputy logistics chief of the People's Liberation Army, built a pistol-shaped house in his hometown Puyang, Henan province, and filled it with so many valuable artefacts that it took four fully loaded trucks to cart them away when corruption investigators came down on him last year.
Luxury Moutai liquor produced exclusively for the military filled two trucks. Items made of gold, including a figurine of late leader Mao Zedong, were among his stash of illegal gains.
Gu was also said to have pocketed a cut of over 100 million yuan for selling a Shanghai military property worth 2.4 billion yuan.
He was charged last year with embezzlement, bribery, misuse of state funds and abuse of power, but it is not known if he has been convicted.
Another official, former National Energy Administration head Liu Tienan and his family held 12 foreign passports, the document said.
He had five properties in Beijing, Qingdao in Shandong and Taiyuan in Shanxi, and owned nine luxury watches and five artworks by renowned Chinese painters Qi Baishi and Fu Baoshi.
Liu was jailed for life by a Hebei court last year for taking bribes of more than 35 million yuan and abusing his power.
Another energy official, Wei Pengyuan, had such an overwhelming stash of illegal cash that graft inspectors wore out four bill counters trying to get a total of the amount.
"Wei owned more than 10 properties worth over 100 million yuan … More than 230 million yuan in cash was found in his home," the transcript stated.
A statement issued by the Hebei People's Procuratorate said the document on the website had not been officially sanctioned.
It said the information had been compiled by the prosecutor based on reports posted on the internet and had not been formally approved for publication.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Security launched Operation Fox Hunt 2015 to track down fugitives, with a focus on suspects of economic crimes as well as corrupt party members and officials.
"We will not only go after suspects of economic crimes - party members and state-run company executives suspected of corruption or duty-related crimes will also be a focus," quoted Liu Dong, who heads the operation, as saying.
Liu, deputy head of the public security ministry's economic crimes division, said the 2015 campaign would be broader than last year's, which caught an unprecedented 680 fugitives between July and December.
