Chinese official’s death remains a mystery after more than seven years
Despite suspicious circumstances and documents alleging corrupt deeds of Liang Jiben's boss, police have staunchly refused to investigate his death, his family say
Seven years after the body of a Guangxi official was found lying in the wild at the bottom of a cliff, his supicious death remains a mystery – and one that top police in the province refuse to investigate, the Southern Metropolis News reported today.
Liang Jiben, who was the deputy chief of the construction bureau in Du An county, left home on September 16, 2006 and never returned. His body was found the following April at the bottom of a cliff at Martyr’s Park, about 1km from his home.
Huang Xiaoli, Liang’s wife, began searching for him by posting notices but to no avail. His decomposed body was found more than six months later, laying on top of a tomb. Huang said and autopsy and personal belongings found on the body confirmed his identity.
Duan county police issued a coroner's report in May 2007 which determined Liang died in a fall, but police refused to investigate the death, citing “a lack of criminal factors”.
After Liang’s disappearance, a folder of documents reporting his boss’s bad deeds was found in his drawer at home. The documents accused his boss, Wei Jingfei, of negligence and embezzling public funds.
Liang’s family appealed to police at all levels but even the Guangxi regional police said they could not establish a case, citing a lack of evidence.
Liang’s death remains a mystery today in Du An county, a poor mountainous region where about 10 per cent of inhabitants still live without electricity.
